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3 Reasons Why CareConnect Improves Patient Care in a Pharmacy Setting
Overview:
CareConnect is BC’s secure, view-only electronic health record (EHR) that is utilized across the province to streamline and integrate the continuum of care.
Since January 2021, the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) has been working with community pharmacists across BC to provide access to CareConnect online. Once enrolled, pharmacists are able to securely log on to CareConnect (using their BC Services Card as identity validation) and access a consolidated view of patient information. CareConnect unites community-based care information with provincially available data, thus providing a comprehensive patient health history. The data available in CareConnect includes: immunization records and status (Provincial Immunization Registry), acute care records, lab results, diagnostic imaging reports, and community documents. For a full list of clinical data provided by CareConnect, see CareConnect Clinical Data.
Currently, over 480 pharmacies and 880 pharmacists are enrolled in CareConnect across BC with the goal being as many pharmacists as possible by the end of 2021.
3 reasons why CareConnect improves patient care in a pharmacy setting:
- Quick Access: No need to use the phone or fax in order to access a patient’s health history as CareConnect consolidates patient information all in one place. This ensures increased patient safety as pharmacists are able to monitor and review prescriptions in a timely manner without having to wait.
- Accessible Clinical Information: Easily evaluate the safety and efficacy of prescribed drug therapy and support prescription renewal. By having access to essential clinical information, pharmacists can collaborate and assist patients with determining the appropriateness of their medications.
- Enhanced Continuity of Care: CareConnect provides access to shared provincial clinical information across care providers, programs and services to enhance continuity of care. This means that patients can receive the support they need from multiple sources in order to have increased overall wellbeing and improved outcomes.
Is your pharmacy enrolled in CareConnect? Pharmacy managers can complete the intake form here.
*Please note that clinic/worksite includes pharmacies.
If you have questions about the intake form or the implementation of CareConnect in community pharmacies in BC, please contact [email protected].
What Do Pharmacists Have To Say About CareConnect?
"CareConnect is a wonderful tool which helps me make better decisions for my patients, especially when they have been discharged from the hospital and I have no idea why and what they are treated for. I can connect better with my patients when I already know about their health issues. I can do better counselling and communicate with prescribers with better understanding of the patient's health status."
"My colleagues and I at our Pharmacy site are finding CareConnect very useful to help in our decision making for our patients in long term care and assisted living."
"I have used the program now for a week – has made a dramatic difference – changing doses of drugs for renal patients having access to lab values to check kidney function, checking vaccination status for clients and I am sure that I have just scratched the surface of what I can do with access to this information. It’s fantastic and about time.”
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ReadLinks Guest Posts are intended to expose the public and pharmacy professionals to a diverse range of knowledge, and expertise, with the goal of expanding awareness of issues related to public safety and pharmacy practice. While the College enforces strict Guest Post Submission Guidelines, the views and opinions expressed in Guest Posts articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official standards or positions of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia.