MedsCheck (Diabetes) Programs
The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care provides a MedsCheck Program for Ontarians living with Diabetes. As stated on their website at http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/drugs/medscheck/medscheck_diabetes.aspx , this “…service is provided to patients living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and is an opportunity to engage your patients in a focused medication review including advice, training, monitoring and education on diabetes. As many patients living with diabetes may have other medical conditions, pharmacists are expected to provide advice on overall therapy management as well as for diabetes.”
It is possible that similar programs exist in other provinces and territories in Canada. As information is made available to CCCEP this website will be updated.
Pharmacist Education Requirements
Ontario:
On the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s website, there is a link to a Professional Pharmacy Services Guidebook 3.0 (see http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/drugs/medscheck/docs/guidebook.pdf ), which references educational requirements for pharmacists. Page 16 of the guidebook states:
Please note: Pharmacist Education for MedsCheck for Diabetes program
Pharmacists providing this service are required to have adequate knowledge of diabetes education such as a recent professional program by a Canadian Council On Continuing Education In Pharmacy (CCCEP) approved accredited provider or a current Certified Diabetes Educator designation.
Additional information can be found under frequently asked questions on the Ministry’s website at: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/drugs/medscheck/faq_diabetes.aspx which states (partial website extract below, as of April 23, 2020):
Pharmacists are required to have adequate knowledge of diabetes education delivered through one or more of the following:
- a PharmD program from the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy (completed in 2015 or later), or
- a PharmD program from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto (completed in 2015 or later), or
- achievement of a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) designation, or
- a sufficiently robust professional program or combination of programs that has received accreditation by the Canadian Council on Continuing Education in Pharmacy (CCCEP).
At this time, no specific accredited courses or specific frequency of renewal have been identified by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for this requirement.
A program that is CCCEP-accredited would meet this ministry requirement so long as the program is robust and supports high quality diabetes counselling and education. This is irrespective of whether the CCCEP-accredited program is developed and/or delivered by a corporate company, pharmacy association, or independent organization
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care expects that the education programs mentioned above are sufficiently robust and are maintained/ renewed as necessary to support the quality of the MedsCheck for Diabetes service delivered to Ontario patients. Pharmacists must determine for themselves whether or not their knowledge on diabetes from their respective education program is sufficiently rigorous to provide the service and address the clinical and educational needs of their patients.
While it appears that robust programs addressing diabetes counselling and education which are accredited by CCCEP would meet the requirements of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, providers interested in developing and submitting a diabetes education program for CCCEP accreditation may wish to contact the Ontario Ministry to confirm that their program would meet their requirements.
Other provinces and territories:
As noted in the section above, it is possible that other provinces and territories have programs similar to the MedsCheck for Diabetes program in Ontario. They may also have educational requirements for pharmacists regarding these programs. As information is made available to CCCEP this website will be updated.
