An Edmonton pharmacy has expanded its business to include three exam rooms where a pharmacist can treat patients for chronic illnesses and common minor ailments.
Shoppers Drug Mart announced the opening of the Pharmacy Care Clinic at its Pilot Sound location in north Edmonton with the goal of increasing access to health care for Albertans.
The clinic, located at 5351 167 Avenue N.W., will offer patients a range of pharmacy health care services, including the assessment and treatment of injuries and common ailments like urinary tract infections and pink eye. The clinics are fully integrated with the pharmacies, which have undergone an extensive redesign to improve the overall patient experience.
“We’re providing access to care here in Alberta,” said Anthony Spina, senior vice president of national operations and pharmacy transformations at Shoppers Drug Mart. “Customers come in and a care concierge can help them navigate the clinic, book an appointment, and download the PC health app. So it’s very exciting for Alberta today.”
The larger clinic features three exam rooms along with a consultation area and is the first of its kind in Alberta. It follows the successful launch of previously opened pharmacy care clinics in Alberta and Ontario, where Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacists are seeing an average of 30 patients a day.
“I think it’s important to recognize the differences between what a patient can get at a doc’s office versus what they can get at a pharmacy,” Spina said. “The great thing about pharmacies is that we’re striving for a lot of chronic diseases but we’re covering a lot of minor ailments as well. A-1-C tests, vaccinations — they’re getting access here quicker but really taking a lot of the pressures off doctors.”
Through their expanded scope of practice, pharmacists in Alberta have the ability to assess patients and prescribe medications for minor illnesses and injuries, administer vaccines and other medications by injection, and support chronic disease management.
As well, pharmacists can order and receive lab results, assist with chronic disease management, and administer medication by injection.
In a statement to Global News in June the ministry of health said: “We support the expanded role of pharmacists in providing primary healthcare as part of a multi-disciplinary team and using the skills of pharmacy teams to improve access. We also welcome innovation in seeking new models of care. Alberta pharmacists have the broadest scope of practice in Canada.”
Pharmacist-led primary care clinics launched in Alberta in 2022 in an effort to ease some of the pressure on doctors and emergency care facilities.
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