Safety IQ Launch
The College is pleased to announce the official launch of Safety IQ, Manitoba’s community pharmacy continuous quality improvement (CQI) program.
Starting June 1, 2021, pharmacy professionals must report all medication incidents and near-miss events to their pharmacy’s medication incident reporting platform. For a quick guide to reporting, please see the following resource: https://cphm.ca/resource/quick-guide-reporting/.
Pharmacy managers must train their staff on the elements of Safety IQ and the pharmacy’s medication incident reporting platform by September 1, 2021; however, the following resources are available for review at any time:
- Safety IQ Quick Guide: Reporting Medication Incidents and Near-Miss Events
- Medication Incident and Near-Miss Event Practice Direction
- Introduction to Safety IQ: Overview and Implementation (video)
- Safety IQ Frequently Asked Questions
Ultimately, Safety IQ aims to improve medication safety for all Manitobans, and each of us has a role to play. We must continually ask ourselves, ‘how are we doing?’ and ‘how can we do it better?’
Over the coming weeks and months, the College will release new resources to support CQI in community pharmacies. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at safetyiq@cphm.ca.
Manitoba Health Drug Shortage PIN List
Pharmacy professionals are encouraged to review the most recent Manitoba Health Drug Shortage PIN List here, which is updated regularly and can be found on the Manitoba Pharmacare Program page for health professionals. Prescriptions filled using these PINs, or any other PIN on this list, will not flag duplicate drug/duplicate therapy intervention codes (MW/MX/MY/MZ) in DPIN.
Pharmacists are encouraged to review a patient’s DPIN profile, as required when filling a prescription for medication on this PIN list, to ensure the patient is not receiving duplicate therapy or at risk of a drug interaction.
Questions regarding the PIN list can be directed to Manitoba Health’s PDP Information and Audit team via email to PDPInfoAudit@gov.mb.ca or via fax at 204-786-8560.
COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Detection Tests (RADTs)
The College has received several questions from registrants regarding their ability to sell COVID-19 rapid antigen detection tests (RADTs) directly to the public. Communication from the provincial COVID-19 Testing Task Force indicated that it is NOT recommended to sell RADTs directly to members of the public at this time, as no provincial protocols are currently in place to guide the public on appropriate use and measures to take based on their test results.
RADTs are simply screening tools; an RADT – positive result must still be confirmed with a diagnostic test at a provincial testing site. Therefore, health care professionals, including pharmacists, should continue to direct members of the public to be tested at provincial testing sites. This ensures all test results are integrated with the health system, tracked and reported daily, and positive test results immediately trigger Public Health interventions, including expedited contact tracing. If guidance on this matter from government changes in the future, registrants will be informed.
Reminder: Prescribing and Dispensing Practice Direction for Stakeholder Feedback
Similar to regulations, a registrant of the College must comply with practice directions. Therefore a practice direction must be developed with due diligence, subject to analysis, review, and consultation. In 2014, Council adopted a policy regarding practice directions, which requires that every practice direction be reviewed at least once every five years.
The Prescribing and Dispensing Practice Direction is scheduled for review.
The Standards of Practice Division of the Quality Assurance Committee requests your comments within a Practice Direction review process.
Please review the draft amendments to the Prescribing and Dispensing Practice Direction and provide your feedback by email to feedback@cphm.ca with the subject line “Prescribing and Dispensing Practice Direction” by June 14, 2021.
Reminder: Consultation on Prescribing for Uncomplicated Cystitis
Manitoba Health and Seniors Care (MHSC) has advised the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba that it is a priority to implement prescribing authority to pharmacists for uncomplicated cystitis and is proceeding with an amendment to pharmacy practice legislation.
The amendment would add a new subsection, 118(5), to the Pharmaceutical Regulation permitting pharmacists who have completed a training program approved by Council to prescribe a drug specified to treat uncomplicated cystitis in a product monograph authorized by Health Canada.
Please review the draft amendment and further information found on the CPhM website News Page and provide your feedback by email to feedback@cphm.ca by July 9, 2021.
CPhM Office Hours Notice
Please be advised that the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba office will be closed:
- Thursday, July 1, 2021
- Friday, July 2, 2021.
The office will resume regular hours of operation, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Monday, July 5, 2021.
Upcoming Events & PD Opportunities
ISMP Medications Safety Considerations for Compliance Packaging E-learning Module
Complete the module here.