Primary Care Network pharmacist Eric Kosiuk says one sentence that really concerns him while speaking to someone about their medications is, “It's in my blister pack and I just take it.”
Speaking to a small crowd gathered at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre, March 6, Kosiuk added that's a sure sign the person is unsure of what exactly it is they’re taking — or why.
“And so, I really think there's a huge role for me to be able to help people out,” said Kosiuk. “And a statement that I want everyone to take home, is that everyone is completely different.”
Kosiuk works across the Coast, but largely out of the Sunshine Coast Primary Care Network (PCN), which opened in downtown Sechelt in January. In his role with the entire network, Kosiuk’s job as a pharmacist is to work with individuals in ways that can help take some of the stress off family doctors, while also enhancing patient care. Prior to joining the network last May, Kosiuk worked as a pharmacist in Gibsons for years before joining the team at Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital.
“During my time at Sechelt Hospital, I was asked to be part of the committee to create this role on the Sunshine Coast because I had some experience in both community and hospital practice,” said Kosiuk. “And while I was creating the role, I became interested in the role I helped create."
What exactly Kosiuk does is multifaceted, but his main role and goal is to speak to individuals about their medications and make suggestions if needed, information he passes on to the referring physician. While it is possible to see Kosiuk without a doctor’s referral, because the network takes a team approach to health care, it’s preferred there’s a doctor available to consult in regards to the overall health of a patient.
“Pharmacy is a really interesting part of everyone's health and the health-care system, and I think it's, honestly, extremely undervalued in terms of how much a pharmacist can help people navigate their medications and their overall health,” said Kosiuk. “So, for me in particular, I think the reason I changed from community practice to the hospital, was when I was in the community setting, it became like there was such a big onus on the dispensary role of the pharmacist, so handing out prescriptions, dealing with coverage, that kind of stuff. And I felt like I was kind of moving away from the role I was trained to do, which is to provide education to people and support.”
He notes that this type of person-centred care means speaking to everyone he meets about their health care goals and needs. He says when he sits down with someone, it’s “really important” to make sure that between them, they’re sharing the same goals and the individual is involved in the decisions they're going to make about their overall health.
“And not just getting a new prescription and just taking it for the sake of taking it… Usually when I see someone, there are questions about why you're on that many medications,” said Kosiuk. “And I think one of the take-home messages at the end of the day is, not all medications are bad, but it's good to just take a kind of big-picture look at what you're taking and whether it's right for you. And I don't think Dr. Google is always the best source of information so, from my end, I think it's just really important if you're interested to know a little bit more about your medications, and if there's room to improve or de-prescribe, I think booking an appointment with me would be a really great idea.”
Kosiuk says his work in no way undermines the advice offered or prescriptions written by a person’s doctor. Instead, the role is to help lessen the need for doctors to spend so much time talking about medications with patients.
He adds, when it comes to common health complaints, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol, those medications have changed over the years. And, the move to virtual and phone appointments also means a doctor sometimes isn’t getting the complete story when it comes to some of their patients.
So, he said, it’s no surprise that if a busy doctor asks a patient how they’re feeling over the phone, and they say fine, there’s no reason for the physician to start questioning the medication they’ve been taking for years.
The difference is, Kosiuk says, he’s able to meet with a person for between 45 minutes to an hour to discuss medications, while doctors are typically very limited in the time they can spend with each patient.
“So, basically PCN pharmacists conduct comprehensive assessments of patients medication, review them for efficacy, safety and, for some people, even just kind of overviewing why people can or can't take their medications,” he said. “It's very one-on-one. And, if you're a senior you’re more than welcome to bring a family member with you. And then for me, the big thing is to be able to collaborate with the other health care providers.”
While Kosiuk cannot prescribe medications, he can conduct comprehensive assessments of medications, spend one-on-one time with patients, address barriers to optimal medication use, improve understanding of medications and the role they play in a care plan and share that information with primary care providers.
The goal of the PCN is that by the end of 2027, the network will include one part-time and three full-time social workers, one part-time and two full-time counsellors, one part-time and six full-time registered nurses with specialties, one shíshálh Nation Elder and Indigenous community champion, one community pharmacist and an unlimited number of family doctors and nurse practitioners.
Kosiuk is available to speak to (by appointment), at the PCN Hub in Sechelt, the Pender Harbour Health Centre, Gibsons Public Health Office or by video or phone call. To make an appointment, ask your local family doctor for a referral. If you don’t have a local doctor or no doctor at all, call 236-477-6795 for assistance.
