Sask. pharmacists soon will be able to draw blood samples
In Saskatchewan, pharmacists will be able to draw blood samples and nurse practitioners have the authority to admit and discharge hospital patients.
Those are some of the changes Saskatchewan's health minister announced Friday morning in Saskatoon.
"We need more boots on the ground, more people," Paul Merriman said during a news conference at the University of Saskatchewan.
"I see my pharmacist more than I see my doctor. So I have that relationship with my pharmacist," Merriman said.
Pharmacists will be able to independently prescribe medications, order lab tests and advise patients on diabetes or cholesterol medication.
"Many years ago, pharmacists were really just involved in dispensing the medication. Over time, pharmacists have been trained in the therapeutic knowledge and clinical management of different conditions and so I feel like it's been just an evolution," Saskatchewan College of Paramedics Executive Director Jacquie Messer-Lepage said.
In addition to increased authority in hospital settings, nurse practitioners will be able to conduct initial examinations of new long-term care (LTC) residents, assume responsibility for the ongoing medical care and treatment of residents, provide emergency care and sign death certificates for residents in LTC.
"We've been advocating for some of these changes for quite a few years. Across the country, we have NPs that already have these privileges, and it is something that just streamlines our care for patients," Saskatchewan Association of Nurse Practitioners president Cassandra Leggott said.
As part of the announced changes, advanced-care paramedics will be permitted to perform suturing for minor wounds, cuts or lacerations.
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health says the announced changes will be introduced over the next year.
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