Our patient data also indicate high levels of trust for pharmacists among those managing chronic conditions, especially seniors. It’s likely that this trust is the result of the increased contact with pharmacists that these conditions often necessitate. This is further confirmed by data that show the more patients interact with pharmacists, the more they trust them.

Many would argue that results like these should contribute to building an expanded role for pharmacists in the healthcare system in Canada, but the debate continues. Currently, Quebec allows its pharmacists to re-prescribe medications previously prescribed by physicians, while Alberta has taken this a step further, allowing their pharmacists to prescribe medications for a wide range of chronic illnesses.

While Alberta may currently be the lone province in Canada to hand pharmacists this type of prescribing power, Canada’s entire healthcare system is increasing the role pharmacists play in in the process. This sits especially well among those physicians who see themselves as one member of a larger healthcare team. We refer to these physicians as Networkers and, according to our MDConnect values-based physician database, approximately one-third of Canadian physicians fall into this segment. Not only that, but Networkers are the fastest growing physician segment in Canada.

There is no doubt that pharmacists will play an expanding role in treatment decisions and the delivery of those treatments. At Environics we not only have a deep understanding of pharmacists and their role in the healthcare landscape, but can also help guide build out your pharmacy strategy with our proprietary MDConnect™ and PatientConnect™ tools to ensure success of your pharmacy initiative programs.