Grant: CIHR New Investigator

In January 2009, a policy change in British Columbia (BC) gave pharmacists the authority to independently modify and renew prescriptions. The policy is intended to improve patient access to drugs and reduce the already heavy burden on primary care physicians. However, physicians and others have raised concerns about potential negative effects on patient safety due to inappropriate medication modifications and reduced continuity of care. While several other provinces have either implemented or proposed similar policies, there have been conspicuously few rigorous evaluations of these changes. We will use the world-class health research datasets in BC to study the effects of this policy change on drug utilization and costs, patient adherence to medication, the number of visits to physicians and hospitalization. Our study will benefit Canadians by informing the future design and refinement of these important and controversial policies.