EDITORIAL: Right idea to share H1N1 vaccine duties
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Updated: November 30, 2009 6:12 PM
The recent decision to allow pharmacists to dispense H1N1 flu shots makes sense on several levels.
Not only does it give members of the public looking to get immunized another option for how they choose to receive the shot, it makes use of one more level of health-care professional in the system.
While there were large lineups initially at clinics when the first batch of H1N1 vaccine arrived and was made available to individuals in high-risk groups, the lines have shrunk considerably since the vaccinations were opened up to everyone.
Doctors have been vaccinating many patients, who have booked appointments with their physician to have the minor procedure done. But administering the shots is just one more task for doctors already burdened with heavy workloads.
It makes sense to take the needles out of the hands of the doctors, so to speak, and put more of them in the hands of practitioners such as pharmacists. Not only are many pharmacists keen to take the necessary courses for qualification to give the shots, it’s a sharing of the load, and no doubt offers a cost savings to the taxpayer.
Health-care professionals other than physicians have been involved in preventative medicine for some time. Dentists now routinely check patients’ glands and inspect their mouths for signs of cancers or other health issues. Optometrists keep watch for signs of brain tumours when doing eye exams.
Cross-pollinating skill sets, as with the pharmacists, is a way to offer better customer service, keep people healthier and make the best use of our stressed health-care system.
Taking some of the menial workload off of the doctors’ plates may free them up to look after more serious cases. And in the big picture, helping reduce doctors’ stress levels might help British Columbia keep more talented professionals here when they might be tempted to move their practice to the U.S. or elsewhere.
