MedSask Minor Ailment Guidelines Now Available

Need Support or Help in Accessing MedSask?

Use your BCPhA account to access medSask. All BCPhA members already have an account. If you're not a member or unsure if you have an account, you will have an account if you have completed the following through the BCPhA:

  • BCPhA training for ImmsBC
  • Pharmacy Manager training
  • OAT CAMPP

If you have any other questions, please fill out the following contact form with your name and type of support you need and one of our team members will be in contact with you

In advance of the June 1, 2023, implementation of minor ailments and contraception service (MACS) in British Columbia, the BC Pharmacy Association has licensed medSask’s resource “Minor Ailment and Self Care Guidelines” for pharmacists in B.C. at no cost. These are free to pharmacists, students and pharmacy technicians in good standing with the College of Pharmacists of B.C.

This resource, funded by the Ministry of Health, provides treatment algorithms, patient assessment and treatment checklists for each condition, which can be used as a tool to aid decision-making when prescribing for minor ailments.

Who’s eligible for complimentary access:

All pharmacists and pharmacy students in good standing with the College of Pharmacists of B.C.  

How to access:

If you already have an account with the BC Pharmacy Association, your existing BCPhA log in will grant you access.  No account? Sign up for a free account here

  1. Click here to access the medSask webpage.
  2. When in the guidelines, click on the "British Columbia" tab.

The medSask Pharmacist Assessment Records for British Columbia will be updated by the end of the day on May 31, 2023. 

 

Disclaimer

Please note that the medSask Guidelines and Pharmacy Assessment Records (Documentation templates) have been created to meet Saskatchewan standards by the University of Saskatchewan.

These materials have been made available to B.C. pharmacists as clinical reference materials. Please refer to the College of Pharmacists of BC standards of practice (TBD) and PharmaCare's policy for Minor Ailment and Contraception Service (TBD) for practice standards, documentation and service requirements for B.C.

Identified discrepancies between the medSask resources and requirements in B.C. include:

  • Saskatchewan billing codes listed in the medSask guidelines do not apply to B.C.
  • Pharmacological treatment options in medSask's PARs and guidelines may be more limited than what is permitted in B.C. However, prescribing triptans for migraine treatment is included in the medsask guidelines, but is not permitted in B.C.'s Pharmacists Regulations. 
  • medSask treatment algorithms/templates for some conditions may include reasons to refer, that is “redflags”, (e.g. a patient's first cold sore infection), limited prescription duration of treatment (e.g. contraception), and follow-up measures that are specific to Saskatchewan.
  • Generally, the medSask guidelines take a clinically cautious approach and may differ from other clinical references and what is permissible in B.C.'s Minor Ailments and Contraceptive Service (MACS) policies. Where these differences exist, it is up to the pharmacist’s clinical judgement on how to proceed clinically.