The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association believes the Gallant government’s new drug information system for health care professionals is a good start but more work is needed.
The system contains real-time medication history for patients who have prescriptions filled in any New Brunswick pharmacy.
Executive director Paul Blanchard says this will help prevent the misuse of certain drugs but he thinks a more interactive system is needed especially for patients who may visit several different pharmacies.
“A complete list will be sent to the pharmacy that you’re in at that time and they will be able to use their software to see what drug interactions exist between all of your medications, not just the ones you have at that pharmacy,” he says.
Blanchard adds pharmacists will have to log-in to the new provincial system and will need to manually figure out drug interactions which could lead to delays for patients at the counter.
The association wants to see a truly integrated system which is already in place in the other three Atlantic provinces.
Blanchard is encouraged that Health Minister Victor Boudreau has established a technical working group to discuss pharmacists’ ongoing concerns.
