With the pharmacist scope of practice expanding across Canada, further research is increasingly important in assessing how pharmacists can best interact with their patients.
Two School of Pharmacy assistant professors are conducting such research and have received funding to support their initiatives. Dr. Sherilyn Houle and Dr. Tejal Patel were awarded Innovation Fund Grants from the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy (CFP).
Dr. Patel is investigating the impact of pharmacist intervention on polypharmacy, the simultaneous use of multiple drugs by patients for a single or multiple conditions. Patel’s project, entitled “Pharmacist Interventions to Reduce Polypharmacy and High Risk Medication Use Among the Frail Elderly in Primary Care: A Case-Controlled Comparison” will also explore the use of high risk medication and appropriate gastrointestinal protection for her target population – elderly and frail Canadians.
Dr. Houle’s project is called “Determining the Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Satisfaction of a Pharmacist-Managed Travel Medicine Clinic Under an Expanded Scope of Practice”. Like Patel, Houle’s research explores value of pharmacist intervention and the expansion of services in the Canadian healthcare system.
The CFP awarded three Innovation Fund Grants for 2016, and School of Pharmacy faculty received two of them. Founded in 1945, the CFP is Canada’s only national pharmacy charity. Its mission is to encourage pharmacy practice through the support and promotion of innovation and leadership practice. To that end, the Innovation Fund Grant is available to pharmacists who are engaging in research or an innovative model of pharmacy practice that will advance the profession and demonstrably improve the health of patients.