All N&L pharmacies to be on network by March

ST. JOHN’S – About 80 percent of pharmacies in Newfoundland and Labrador are now linked to the provincial pharmacy network, and 100 percent are expected to be online by March. Through the network, they will be able to access the provincial electronic health record system.

Pharmacies that have yet to join were generally delayed for technical issues or scheduling challenges with contractors building patient counselling rooms, said Margot Priddle (pictured), registrar of the Newfoundland & Labrador Pharmacy Board.

Pharmacies are now required to offer private counselling to patients to help promote patient safety.

The move onto the shared network, operated by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information, is expected to boost patient safety.

“Once all of these pharmacies are connected, it’s all about safety and the information that’s available in the system,” Priddle told the St. John’s Telegram newspaper. For example, ER doctors will be able to see the entire medication record when patients enter the emergency department of a hospital.

Moreover, pharmacists will be able to see all the medications a patient has received from other pharmacies, and will be able to better determine if adverse drug reactions will occur from new prescriptions.

“Patients in our province often get prescriptions filled in different pharmacies, and that information is not connected unless the pharmacy is connected to the provincial electronic health record,” Priddle said.