New Study Points to Impact of Pharmacist Prescribing Rules
A new Canadian Affairs article on research by Alex Hoagland and co-authors shows that pharmacist prescribing reduces visits to emergency departments but may increase demand elsewhere in the system.
In recent years, Canada’s provinces have empowered pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments in the hope of reducing demands on doctors and improving health-care access for millions.
A new study in the Journal of Health Economics suggests the strategy is having mixed results: Increasing access for vulnerable population groups, driving improvements in access to health care and cutting visits to emergency departments, and also possibly increasing visits to other doctors’ offices and labs.