Prescription Requests to Prescribers Working Remotely
Pharmacy professionals should keep in mind that faxing requests to prescribers may not be the most effective method of communication at this time, as prescribers may not have access to fax machines if they are working remotely.
To facilitate timely patient care, we encourage registrants to work to their full scope of practice. Currently, pharmacists, interns and registered pharmacy students (under the supervision of a pharmacist) have the authority to renew prescriptions for the purpose of continuity of care as described in the Initiating, Adapting and Renewing Prescriptions Guideline. As always, registrants should use their professional judgment in determining the appropriateness of the prescription.
Prescriptions from Prescribers Working Remotely
Many prescribers are working remotely from hospitals and clinics throughout the pandemic and may not be able to provide prescriptions in the usual manner. Registrants receiving these prescriptions should assess them as a whole, including the content and appropriateness specific to the patient, and use their professional judgment to determine their authenticity and validity to dispense. If there is uncertainty that the prescriber has authorized the order, the pharmacy professional may decide to follow up with the prescriber, clinic or hospital directly.
For guidance on determining the authenticity of a prescription, please review the College’s position statement on Authenticity of Prescriptions Using Unique Identifiers for Prescribers and the Faxed Transmission of Prescriptions Policy.
Pharmacists who receive emailed prescriptions directly from a patient are encouraged to collaborate with the physician to ascertain the prescription’s authenticity and/or determine how best to securely receive the prescription via established channels (i.e. fax, verbal, electronically, etc.) directly from the prescriber. See June 17 e-Connect for more information.
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