Other regulatory colleges will start making framework for expanded practice scopes
The Ontario government has announced the expansion of pharmacists’ scope of practice by permitting them to administer additional publicly funded vaccines for six diseases and to assess and prescribe for nine additional common ailments.
According to Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s deputy premier and health minister, this “announcement continues our progress to reduce wait times and let more of our province’s health-care professionals work to the full extent of their expertise.”
Per the provincial government’s news release, starting this July, Ontario pharmacists can administer publicly funded vaccines for the following diseases for eligible Ontarians:
- tetanus
- pertussis
- diphtheria
- pneumococcal
- respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- shingles
With this expansion, pharmacy technicians and qualified staff can administer such vaccines at thousands more locations throughout the province.
Before the change takes effect, patients can only receive these publicly funded vaccines by visiting a doctor’s office, a walk-in clinic, or other clinical settings.
Also beginning this July, Ontario pharmacists and qualified healthcare practitioners can also assess, treat, and prescribe for the following ailments:
- calluses and corns
- dandruff
- dry eye
- head lice
- jock itch
- mild headache
- nasal congestion
- ringworm
- warts
The Ontario government plans to add a maximum of five more ailments early next year, which will raise the total expanded number to 33.
“The Ontario Pharmacists Association welcomes the Ontario government’s ongoing efforts to expand the scope of practice for pharmacy professionals,” said Justin Bates, chief executive officer of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, in the news release.
In its news release, the provincial government shared that these historic expansions seek to:
- Help health professionals deliver care to the full extent of their training
- Alleviate pressure on the healthcare system
- Improve access to care
- Make pharmacies a one-stop location for everyday care
- Offer more convenient and connected care to Ontarians
Other regulatory colleges
The Ontario government also officially instructed the province’s regulatory colleges for optometrists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, dental hygienists, denturists, audiologists, and speech-language pathologists to start designing the regulatory framework to expand their respective scopes of practice.
The provincial government explained that these planned expansions aim to:
- Enable health professionals to perform more procedures
- Help patients receive swifter access to care
- Increase access for Ontarians in rural, northern, Indigenous, and underserved communities
- Decrease wait times
- Reduce the pressure on primary care and emergency departments
