How a Primary Care Pharmacist Can Help Improve Patient Outcomes in Team-based Care
This feature was published as part of Pharmacy Appreciation Month during the month of March.
Written by: Audrey Melanie Hempel, BSc(Pharm), ACPR, PharmD, RPh, Primary Care Clinical Pharmacist Vancouver Coastal Health-Primary Care Network
Many patients in our community must actively manage health system navigation, medication costs and specialist care as part of their care journeys. Aries, like many patients, was no exception.
When Aries (name altered) first became attached to her Family Physician, in addition to her chronic diseases, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and heart failure, she carried the weight of unstable housing and the strain of being unable to afford her medications.
Aries was referred by her Family Physician to me, a Primary Care Pharmacist with the Vancouver Primary Care Network’s (PCN) Interprofessional Teams (IPT) program. I conducted a full medication review to ensure therapy aligned with Aries’ goals of care and current clinical guidelines for her conditions, screening for adverse effects and minimizing barriers to adherence including drug coverage.
As her primary care team, her Family Physician and I continued to follow up regularly with Aries to ensure her treatment plans were in alignment with her specialists, and that she was meeting her care targets, and adhering to medications.
For Aries, the most vital medicine was continuity of care. As she navigated moves between shelters across the Lower Mainland, her life was in flux, but her access to consistent medication management and follow-up remained stable. When unexpected medication-related issues arose —like losing her medications or being relocated too far from her pharmacy —she was able to reach me so we could solve these crises together in real-time, transferring prescriptions and securing emergency refills to prevent dangerous blood sugar spikes and worsening of her other conditions.
Beyond the pills, we focused on lifestyle as medicine, identifying dietary strategies that were realistic within the constraints of food bank access and limited income. We engaged the PCN Registered Dietician and PCN Social Worker to support nutrition and housing stability. By the time Aries moved into transitional housing, her blood work mirrored this newfound stability.
Aries describes her experience with the Primary Care Pharmacist as “life-altering- I feel like my health changed… I was able to sit down with someone who gave me time- [Melanie] didn’t make me feel rushed. Before this, I never understood the reason for my blood tests, or my drug therapy- I was disengaged. Being able to ask questions and to understand my health, to be able to formulate my goals, empowered me to take care of myself.”
Despite the challenges, Aries’ glycemic control is now at target, after shedding her “uncontrolled diabetes” label from over a year ago. While Aries still requires consistent monitoring for her other conditions, her journey towards wellness is a testament to the Primary Care Network Model: through consistent collaboration, shared decision-making, and team-based care, we remove the barriers to care so patients can manage their health with dignity.
PCN Pharmacists can Support Patients with their Medications
The PCN Pharmacists program began in 2020. There are nearly 60 primary care pharmacists working in Primary Care Networks (PCNs) across BC, including 6 in the Vancouver PCN. The PCN Pharmacists support longitudinal care, and the average patient will see a pharmacist for at least two visits.
In Vancouver, the PCN Pharmacists are part of the Interprofessional Teams. Clinics accessing the IPT can send referrals to the PCN Pharmacist through this program. A PCN Pharmacist can also be co-located to bring their expertise to support medication management directly to a clinic’s context.
Primary Care Pharmacists:
- Dedicate time with patients to learn about and address their health needs and goals
- Help patients understand their medications to enable them to take an active role in their own care
- Address barriers to medication use, including cost and pill burden concerns
- Manage side effects, polypharmacy, and improve chronic disease control
If you have questions about the PCN Pharmacy program, please visit our website or connect with your Community Network Manager.