CLINICAL TEAM

PHARMACY SERVICES
Working in partnership with the resident, caregivers, medical and administrative staffs, our pharmacy team focuses on providing optimal pharmacotherapy to the residents of each long term care home we service. Our pharmacists, specialists in long term care pharmacy, communicate directly with the medical team to ensure the correct medication regime is provided for each resident.

All of our pharmacies operate through a team approach with pharmacists and technicians working together to deliver accurate prescriptions on time.

Our comprehensive dispensing service includes the following steps:

• Each order is reviewed by the pharmacist for completeness, accuracy and appropriateness for that particular resident
• Resident information is reviewed and compared with the medication ordered to minimize any allergic or adverse reactions
• Dosages are reviewed to ensure they are correct for the resident
• Patient profiles are reviewed to prevent duplication of therapy

Once the above steps are completed the pharmacist communicates with the nursing staff or other healthcare professionals if there are concerns about the selection of medication for the resident.

Written documentation of any possible concern about allergy or drug interactions is provided to alert the staff in the home to monitor this.

Any new prescribed medications that the nursing staff may not be familiar with are reviewed with the nurse or written information is sent for the nursing staff.

Our detailed checking system supports our dedication to a positive outcome for each resident.

In addition to specific dispensing services, our pharmacists support the healthcare staff with the following:

• Updates and printouts of monthly MARS/TARS plus Physician Medication Reviews
• Diet reports, statistics and newsletters
• Patient records are maintained
• Documentation of notes and messages are provided to assist in patient care
• Sufficient inventory of Tamiflu is maintained for rapid response to a flu outbreak
• Timely and patient specific information is provided to the health care team in the event of a drug recall
• Nursing staff and doctors are alerted about impending discontinuation of medications
• Staff is alerted if medications will no longer be covered by Ontario Drug Benefit
• Advanced notification is provided to physicians about LU expiry or Section 8 expiry
• Special packaging is provided to residents appropriate to their needs - e.g. Medication Manager, Med-eStrip
• Leave-of-Absence medications are provided in patient friendly packaging
• Narcotic count sheets and authorization forms are provided for ease of renewal of chronic medications
• Replenishment of the Emergency Stock Box is maintained through our detailed reorder procedure including expired medications
• Pharmacist is available to answer any clinical questions for facility staff and will refer questions to the consultant when appropriate
• Pharmacist can monitor and review Creatinine Clearance to determine both appropriate use and proper dosages of drugs in patients who may have impaired renal function

For a list of Medical Pharmacies locations, please click here.

Medical Pharmacies' pharmacists are an expert resource on medication information. In fact, our "Drug Identification Manual" and our handbook, "Dosing of Medications in Patients with Decreased Renal Function", were conceived and developed by a team of our pharmacists.