False Claims from Citizen Investigation Services Canada
Please be aware that pharmacies in several provinces across the country, including Manitoba, have recently received a letter from a group calling themselves “Citizen Investigation Services Canada.” The letter from this group requests that pharmacies provide them with copies of communication regarding COVID-19 immunizations they have received from or shared with their provincial regulatory bodies. Please be advised that contrary to what is implied in this communication, there is no official investigation of CPhM. The suggestion of such is false.
Pharmacy professionals are reminded to comply with all aspects of maintaining confidentiality of personal health information. Should you have any questions, please contact info@cphm.ca.
Thank you to those who alerted CPhM to these messages. Pharmacy professionals are among the most accessible healthcare providers, and CPhM commends you for your continued effort to keep Manitobans healthy and safe during the height of the pandemic and beyond. CPhM is actively engaged with provincial and federal public health partners and will continue to provide and distribute information and guidance in accordance with all public health directives and initiatives to keep pharmacy professionals up-to-date.
Updated Health Canada Guidance Document: Controlled substances guidance for community pharmacists
Pharmacy Professionals must be knowledgeable of provincial and federal requirements for controlled substances. Federal requirements are outlined in the regulations made under the Foods and Drugs Act and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which include:
- The Narcotic Control Regulations;
- The Benzodiazepines and Other Targeted Substances Regulations; and
- Part G of the Food and Drug Regulations.
Health Canada has recently updated its corresponding guidance document, Controlled substances guidance for community pharmacists. Community pharmacy professionals are encouraged to review the updated document.
The guidance document outlines how pharmacy professionals can meet federal regulatory requirements for controlled substances, in the areas of:
- Security;
- Inventory reconciliation; and
- Record-keeping.
When reviewing the document, pharmacy professionals are reminded that there are areas in which provincial legislation and CPhM practice directions strengthen federal legislation, in such instances pharmacy professionals must always defer to the stronger provincial requirement.
Of note, the guidance document refers to the Federal Subsection 56(1) class exemption of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) for patients, practitioners and pharmacists prescribing and providing controlled substances in Canada during the coronavirus pandemic. This exemption has not been fully enabled in Manitoba. Please see the June 25, 2021 edition of the Friday Five for more detailed information.
Health Equity Module Update
On October 17, 2022, the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (CPhM) sent all pharmacy professionals in Manitoba notice that the mandatory professional development (PD) module for 2022/2023 was available. Health Equity and Cultural Humility: An Introduction for Health Professionals in Manitoba was developed in collaboration with 16 provincial health regulatory colleges that are part of the Manitoba Alliance of Health Regulatory Colleges to support awareness and knowledge of health inequity. The participating colleges sourced subject matter experts to develop the content for the module.
An updated module will be posted on Feb. 24, 2023, to correct the keyword definitions where the bias and unconscious bias definitions were reversed. The old version of the module will be removed.
Any pharmacy professionals who are in the middle of completing the module have until Feb. 23, 2023, to complete it and submit the evaluation form if they do not want to repeat the module.
Pharmacy technicians have until May 31, 2023, to complete the mandatory module. Pharmacists had until Dec. 31, 2022, to complete the mandatory module. If you have already completed the module and submitted an evaluation form, no further action is needed.
Please use the Registrant Login on cphm.ca to access your Portal and scroll down to “My Professional Development.” Once you view the module, you must complete the learning activity evaluation to receive your statement of participation. This proof of completion must be maintained for a minimum of three years and may be requested by CPhM later.
You can claim the Health Equity and Cultural Humility module for up to 1.5 accredited continuing education units (CEU) in your PD Log (no accreditation number is required) and you must claim the CEU in the PD year you completed the module.
If you have any questions, please contact profdevelopment@cphm.ca . Thank you for your attention to the matter.
Reminder: Operational Change to Physician Prescribing and Pharmacist Checks of the CPSM Registered Members List
Starting on February 15, 2023, Manitoba physicians are no longer required to have special status to prescribe M3P (Manitoba Prescribing Practices Program) medications. This means that pharmacists will only need to check the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) registered members list to confirm the following information before dispensing M3P medications:
- The physician does not have any formal prescribing restrictions, and
- The physician is authorized to prescribe methadone and/or suboxone, when applicable. Prescribing restrictions will be listed as “formal prescribing restriction, refer to page one” in the prescribing column of the CSPM registered members list located on your Registrant Portal. You will no longer see an “M3P” notation in the prescriber column.
Please note that all other professional practice and documentation requirements of M3P will stay the same, including:
- Physician prescriber obligation to use an M3P prescription pad issued by the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba when issuing a hard copy M3P prescription; AND
- All other requirements described in the Pharmaceutical Regulation, M3P dispensing requirements section 78(1-4).
Additional resources to support the dispensing of M3P medications are available in the M3P category of the Resource Library at cphm.ca. Pharmacy professionals should also refer to the “Ensuring Safe Access to M3P Prescriptions for Patients during the COVID-19 Outbreak” document in the Registrant Portal.
Should you have any questions regarding this update or other prescribing issues, please contact info@cphm.ca.
Save 50 per cent on ISMP Canada’s Pediatric Safety Considerations eLearning Module
ISMP Canada is offering a time-limited 50 per cent savings on the price of their recently launched eLearning module called “Keeping Pediatric Patients Safe: Pediatric Safety Considerations for Community Pharmacists.”
This 5-part CCCEP-accredited e-Learning module will provide community pharmacists the fundamentals of assessing pediatric prescriptions, doing common calculations, identifying, and managing high-risk areas in their practice, as well as effectively educating patients and caregivers. Co-designed with the input of pediatric specialists, clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and consumers, and based on medication incidents from 2016-2021, the topics selected are pertinent to present-day pharmacy practice.
Register today! For more information, visit https://ismpcanada.ca/education/pediatric-elearn-module/
CPhM Office Hours Notice
Please be advised that the CPhM office will be closed on Monday, February 20, 2023.
Regular office hours resume on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Please call before visiting the CPhM office to ensure staff are available to help you. You can drop off documents such as applications at any time in the secure black deposit box to the left of the main entrance.
Upcoming Events & Professional Development Opportunities
2023 CSHP-MB Winter Evening Event- Updates in Diabetes
Saturday, February 25, 2023
For more information and to register, click here.
Opioid Agonist Therapy 101 Introduction to Clinical Practice
October 26 and 27, 2023
Click here to register and for more information.