As community acquired cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, use of virtual care has the potential to reduce unnecessary patient contact in pharmacies where patients may put themselves, other patients, and pharmacy staff at risk. The use of virtual care provides pharmacists and pharmacy technicians the opportunity to interact with patients who are positive for COVID-19, those in self-isolation, and those who wish to minimise contact with others. This is an especially important consideration to support physical distancing between elderly or vulnerable patients.
The Standards of Practice for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians (SPPPT) require that certain activities occur in person with the patient present. In order to meet patient needs and to help reduce the risk of exposure to pharmacy staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, ACP has provided temporary approval for pharmacists to prescribe without meeting the requirements noted in SPPPT 2.6, 12.2(a), 13.2(a), and 14.2. Despite this, pharmacists must use their professional judgement to determine if they can complete an appropriate assessment to make an informed decision and prescribe a treatment for a patient without seeing them.
