Numbers, numbers, numbers — I went to journalism school so words are more my thing than numbers.
But, as our Board Chair Colleen Hogg says in her column, the recently released PharmaCare Trends report reflects the hard work pharmacists have continued to do. British Columbia is fortunate to have PharmaNet as it tracks and delivers very detailed information about the work pharmacists are doing; this reporting isn’t always available in other provinces.
For me, my interest is in the stories about pharmacists and their patients that are behind the numbers. I don’t have to tell any pharmacist reading this issue of The Tablet how much busier your days have become. Pharmacists’ work on the ongoing annual flu and COVID vaccine programs is nothing short of spectacular. Every shot that goes into someone’s arm can literally be life-saving. We have seen the impact not being vaccinated can quickly have on a population. The rising numbers of measles cases in Canada is concerning and shows how essential public vaccination campaigns are.
While not reflected in the PharmaCare Trends report, the numbers of minor ailments and contraception services (MACS) completed in our province means that each and every person that went to their pharmacist got the assessment and care they needed. One can only speculate on how many people who received MACS from pharmacists would only otherwise have their local hospital emergency department as a health-care option.
Without timely access, patient care is inevitably compromised. While the scope of things pharmacists can do has grown quickly in the last few years, there is so much more pharmacists can and should be doing. Prescribing for stable chronic diseases and offering point-of-care testing are a couple of examples.
I don’t usually write much about my own health-care needs or concerns. But as I said, behind each of the statistics is a personal story of a patient and their pharmacist. For my health needs, I am fortunate to regularly see two of the very best pharmacists practicing. In January, I tripped on a dark, wet night, fracturing my knee cap and breaking a finger on my right hand. It was awful! But thanks to my pharmacists, I felt very well-cared for — they delivered my medications and were thoughtful enough to put the pills in a baggy, knowing opening a bottle would have been hard due to my injury. The thoughtfulness and concern they showed me is something I won’t forget and can’t thank them enough for.
So, as we look at the numbers, let’s remember the people behind them.
Geraldine Vance
Chief Executive Officer
BC Pharmacy Association