N.S. pharmacists see spike in harassment

Their line of defence is a desk, and most pharmacists will tell you, they want to keep it that way.

But more than 50 per cent of them in Nova Scotia said they’ve experienced harassment in the last 12 months while on the job, according to the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia.

Much of it comes from patients.

New Brunswick pharmacist Alistair Bursey believes it’s a nationwide problem.

“Pharmacists are being harassed, verbally abused, getting a lot of stress on them because they are the most accessible health-care professional. You can walk and talk to a pharmacist anywhere,” he said.

He says there could be multiple reasons behind the increase in anger.

The first: drug shortages have “exploded” in Canada, which can mean trying to find patients alternatives that may not be as effective, or trying to ensure a different brand is also covered under a patients’ insurance.

“I mean, we just found out last week that carbamazepine was going to be going short. This is an anti-seizure med critical in Canada. I mean, this isn't like, you know, heartburn med, which you can switch over. This is carbamazepine. And that's going short in the country,” he said. “I mean, sometimes you sit here and you say to yourself, like, Canada is a very advanced country and we're having critical meds go short and there doesn't seem to be much of a strategy to deal with it.”

Bursey says the country should be considering a strategy similar to Europe’s, where having a one-year supply of critical medication is standard.

And then there’s the ongoing cost-of-living pressures.

“I think that's a large part of it. I've seen so many patients upset, frustrated. They can't get their medicine. They can only get 30 days of medicine. It's increasing their costs. They're on a fixed budget,” he said. “I mean, it's just like a snowball going down the hill. It just goes and builds up more pressure on patients.”

The Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia has developed a “KindRX” campaign that includes a patient code of conduct and promotional material to encourage people to be kind to their pharmacist.

Kindness is key, says pharmacist Anne Marie Picone.

Interim executive director of the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association, Picone says she also believes the profession is simply seeing more people turning to them for help in the absence of primary care.

“I always say everyone on medication does not have a doctor, but everyone on medication has a pharmacist,” she said. “So if you think about that, you know, there's a lot of people out there that are coming into the pharmacies needing and wanting and requesting help. We're there for them. But they also have to be patient.”

Six pharmacy care clinics opened last year in New Brunswick, treating patients with strep throat or chronic disease like diabetes. Nova Scotia launched similar clinics over a year ago, expanding to 25 pharmacy locations.

Both Bursey and Picone say they’ve been extremely successful in New Brunswick and should be expanded once the province reviews their success.

Picone believes if more people can access care, the temperature might come down a bit.

“So this has been you know, certainly very helpful to be able to have that. But at the same time it is really unfortunate that our pharmacy professionals are having to deal with harassment at their workplace from patients,” said Picone.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.