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.

Have you accessed medSask guidelines and PARs recently? If not, here are some of the recent changes to further align with B.C. MACS scope:

  • UTI – Treatment algorithm updated with BC prescribing recommendations based on local resistance
  • Headache - Tension-Type only (Removal of migraine headache)
  • Impetigo (Removal of folliculitis)
  • Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (Remove of prophylactic treatment options)
  • Pinworms (New addition)
  • Cold sore PAR – (Drug products eligible for prescribing now reflect BC regulations for available antiviral medications)

medSask is working on more guideline updates for further clinical and regulatory alignment. For Pharmacists using medSask PARS for documentation, please use the most up-to-date B.C. version of the forms available on medSask’s portal. These forms have been updated to support compliance with PharmaCare documentation requirements.

To view updates to the medSask guidelines, please visit https://medsask.usask.ca/professional-practice/restricted-guidelines/guideline-updates.php

Access medSask now

 

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, Pharmacy Regulations, and PharmaCare's policy for Minor Ailment and Contraception Service for regulations, practice standards, documentation, and service requirements for B.C.

medSask is continuously updating their guidelines to align with the regulatory scope of B.C.

  • 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.
  • Pharmacists may use any evidence-based resources that enable them to provide safe and effective patient care. In B.C., medSask should be considered one of the possible clinical decision support resources/tools, and it is not mandated that pharmacists follow their specific guidelines in applying care to their patients.