Agenda: Day 2

Start your morning off with a hot breakfast buffet and meet other industry professionals who are also attending the BCPhA Annual Conference.

Chris Waller, the President of the BC Pharmacy Association, will give his opening remarks and kick off the BCPhA Annual Conference.

Grant Ainsley

Hardly a week goes by there’s not some sort of an embarrassing social media event that goes viral and the entire country hears about it.

It’s easy to see why. There’s never been a time that organizations are in greater danger of having something go wrong and having their brand damaged so badly it’ll take years to recover.

The majority of companies don’t have a written policy to deal with social media, even though statistics show around 70% of their employees are on at least one social media site every day. 

Surviving a Social Media Meltdown will show you:

• Why we live in dangerous times – a look at some social media meltdown case studies
• How to put policies in place to lessen the chances of it happening to you 
• Ways to handle difficult situations in the media if you become the news

The presentation will result in organizations understanding the risks they face and how to minimize them. Not only will stress be reduced and embarrassment prevented, but big dollars can be saved.

Grant Ainsley is one of Canada’s top media trainers and a former award-winning journalist and PR professional. His presentation will not only inform, but also entertain you.

This session is accredited for 1.0 CEU.

Richard Jock

Reconciliation with First Nations through Professional Practices and Pharmacy Services will provide pharmacists with an opportunity to learn more about what Reconciliation with First Nations is about and how it impacts the health and wellness of First Nations in British Columbia and Canada. We can see examples of Reconciliation starting in our children's education system, in the justice system and the larger health-care system; but where does Reconciliation start in pharmacy?

As health and wellness partners, First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) acknowledges pharmacists play a significant role in decreasing the health inequities and disparities that are evident in First Nations Health and improving patient experiences within the health-care system. Pharmacists will be encouraged to consider what reconciliation looks like in their day-to-day professional practices and services provided at the pharmacy counter.

This session is accredited for 1.0 CEU.

Ajit Johal

The 1918 Spanish influenza is known as the "virus that changed the world". Between the first recorded case in March 1918 and the last in March 1920, an estimated 50 million people died, in one of the largest pandemics in human history. One hundred years later, despite advancements in infection control and vaccinations, we find ourselves in an era of "vaccine hesitancy".  The phenomenon refers to the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of services, and has been listed as one of the World Health Organization’s top 10 global health threats in 2019.  Since 2009 BC pharmacists have been invaluable vaccination service providers, both with their knowledge and accessibility. Reflecting upon 100 years of history, and using up-to-date best practice guidelines, find out how pharmacists can protect our most vulnerable patients against influenza today

This session is accredited for 1.0 CEU.

Bob Nakagawa

Join the College of Pharmacists of BC for lunch as the College gives an update about the state of affairs for pharmacists in the province. The College will present on-going issues and discuss the vision to improve pharmacy in British Columbia.

Dr. Murray Opdahl

Dr. Murray Opdahl will discuss concepts related to the use of cannabinoids in medical practice including:

• the endocannabinoid system;
• the pharmacology of endogenous, synthetic and cannabis derived cannabinoids with mention of specific properties of THC/CBD, potential drug interactions and routes of administration;
• a brief summary of some of the published evidence and guidelines for cannabinoids;
• a practical approach for health care professionals to safely authorize cannabinoids with mention of appropriate patient characteristics (ie. indication, risk of misuse),initial dosing/product selection and titration to maximum benefit; and 
• presentation of a few interesting cases of patients who found benefit from using cannabinoids

This session is accredited for 1.0 CEU.  Please note that this is a concurrent session and will happen at the same time as "Medication Error Reporting"

Dr. Certina Ho and Dr. Adrian Boucher

The objective of this session is to analyze medication incidents reported by community pharmacies in Nova Scotia over a 7-year period and share the lessons learned. A retrospective analysis was conducted on medication incidents reported from 301 Nova Scotia community pharmacies occurring between October 1, 2010 and June 30, 2017. Descriptive analysis was performed on incidents with respect to discoverer, patient outcome, medication system stages, and type. A qualitative, multi-incident analysis was conducted on incidents associated with patient harm. A total of 131,031 incidents were reported; 98,097 of which were related to medications. Overall, 82% (N = 80,488) medication incidents did not reach the patient and 0.95% (N = 928) were associated with patient harm. Incorrect dose/frequency, incorrect quantity, and incorrect drug were the most common types of incidents. The majority of medication incidents occurred at order entry, followed by preparation/dispensing and prescribing. Three main themes were identified from the multi-incident analysis: high-risk processes in pharmacy practice; communication gaps; and preventable adverse drug reactions. Quantitative and qualitative incident analyses offer a complementary approach to guide quality improvement initiatives in community pharmacies. Sharing lessons learned from medication incidents will contribute to overall patient and medication safety.

This session is accredited for 1.0 CEU. Please note that this is a concurrent session and will happen at the same time as "Use of Cannabinoids in Medical Practice."

Dr. Alan Low and pharmacy students

Our fifth annual BCPhA Student Poster Competition qualifiers took place on February 8, 2019, where seven groups competed for a sponsored spot at the BCPhA annual conference.

Several students will vie for your vote with their poster presentations on innovative clinical services that can enhance patient care in the pharmacy.

Six groups will be presenting this year.

Grant Ainsley

Most of us understand the importance and impact of social media in our lives, but as Pharmacists and business owners, are we really taking advantage of what it offers? 

Using social media, video, blogs and other internet tools is a great way to market yourself and your business. Digital advertising can also be an extremely cost effective and highly targeted approach to get messages in front your customers, or any audience. There’s a reason Google and Facebook have become two of the biggest advertisers in the world today.

Media expert Grant Ainsley will talk about the steps you can take to build your online presence and explain how digital advertising works. He’ll also let you know about some of the pitfalls you need to avoid. 

This presentation will be filled with takeaways that you can implement immediately to expand your profile, help tell your story better and make more money.

This session is accredited for 1.0 CEU.  Please note that this is a concurrent session and will happen at the same time as the CFAMM presentation.

Deepak Anand

This presentation will go over what is happening in the medical cannabis industry in Canada, the challenges faced by medical cannabis patients and the status and importance of pharmacy access to medical cannabis. Stats on number of patients accessing medical cannabis, number of physicians prescribing medical cannabis, total grams per day accessed by patients will be reviewed along with recent survey data on medical cannabis patient behaviours. 

Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana (CFAMM) is a federal non-profit, patient-run organization dedicated to protecting and improving the rights of medical cannabis patients. CFAMM’s goal is to enable patients to obtain fair and safe access to medical cannabis with a special focus on affordability, including private and public insurance coverage.

This session is accredited for 1.0 CEU.  Please note that this is a concurrent session and will happen at the same time as "Building Your Online Brand: Gain Friends, Followers, Fans and Make Money."

Shelita Dattani

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global threat to human health and public safety, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals each year. As more and more microorganisms join the resistance, the problem is growing at an alarming rate. Action is needed and with greater than 90% of antimicrobial prescribing occurring in an outpatient setting, there is an invaluable role for community pharmacists to serve as antimicrobial stewards.

This session is accredited for 1.0 CEU. 

Catherine McLeod

Description for session coming soon.

This session is accredited for 1.0 CEU.  Please note that this is a concurrent session and will happen at the same time as "Pharmacists as antimicrobial stewards: Fighting resistance needs your assistance"

MC: Derek Desrosiers

The 2019 Pharmacy Excellence Awards will be presented at the BC Pharmacy Association Awards Gala on Saturday, May 11, 2019 in Vancouver. These awards are given annually to celebrate the success of individuals who have contributed to the advancement of pharmacy in B.C.