Providing pharmacy services for displaced Fort McMurray residents

Due to the fires and resulting evacuations taking place right now in Fort McMurray, many individuals may be seeking temporary pharmacy services from other Alberta pharmacies.

ACP understands that this may significantly increase your workload, and we appreciate all your efforts to help your colleagues and their patients during this difficult time.

As a reminder, when providing care for a temporarily displaced patient, please:

1. Check Netcare to confirm the patient’s health history and determine appropriateness.
2. Follow the standards for prescribing in an emergency (Standard13). Specifically, the pharmacist must:
   • personally see and assess the patient,
   • obtain sufficient information about the patient’s health status and disease or condition to make the decision to prescribe,
   • assess whether the prescription will cause a drug-related problem,
   • be satisfied that the prescription will not place the patient at increased risk, and
   • follow up and appropriately monitor the response to the drug prescribed.
3. As the duration of the recovery is unknown, consider providing patients an amount of medication up to the amount of their last dispensed event. This, of course, must be based on your assessment of the patient.
4. Communicate your actions back to the patient’s other health care providers as soon as possible.

Look after yourself and those working with you. We recognize the burdens that these circumstances cause - the limited time you have to address all the issues you face; the challenges of looking after new patients with limited information; and the limits to your physical and emotional energy.