Canadian pharmacy association joins Choosing Wisely campaign, lists 'unnecessary' procedures

In joining the Choosing Wisely campaign, the Canadian Pharmacists Association compiled a list of six common practices and therapies that may be unnecessary and could potentially harm patients. The CPhA's recommendations include:

1. Don't use a medication to treat the side effects of another medication unless absolutely necessary;
2. Don't recommend the use of over-the-counter medications containing codeine for the management of acute or chronic pain;
3. Don't start or renew drug therapy unless there is an appropriate indication and reasonable expectation of benefit in the individual patient;
4. Don't renew long-term PPI therapy for gastrointestinal symptoms without an attempt to stop or reduce therapy at least once per year for most patients;
5. Question the use of antipsychotics as a first line intervention to treat primary insomnia in any age group; and
6. Don't prescribe or dispense benzodiazepines without building a discontinuation strategy into the patient's treatment plan.

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Dans le cadre de la campagne Choisir avec soin, l'APhC publie une liste d'interventions sur lesquelles les pharmaciens et les patients devraient s'interroger - APC