For many women, this will dramatically change the patient journey. The Prime Minister has authorized pharmacists to be able to dispense specific drugs, if the patient does not have a prescription.
A measure which aims to relieve medical practices and promote access to routine care. To benefit from antibiotics without prescriptions in pharmacies, two very specific scenarios have been determined by the authorities. Here are the diseases involved and how it will work.
In case of angina
From now on, in the event of symptoms reminiscent of angina, we will no longer necessarily need to go to the doctor. A visit to the pharmacist will suffice. You may be given antibiotics once the patient has “carried out a test to confirm the bacterial origin” of the disease and will have spoken with you. Once the test has been carried out in the pharmacy and the interview has been completed, you can leave with the appropriate medication.
If during the interview with the pharmacist, the latter considers that you will need to see a doctor to avoid missing out on something more serious, you will then be referred to a practitioner.
In case of cystitis
Same as for angina, once a test carried out in case of urinary tract infections and if the pharmacist deems it necessary, he will then give you the medicines necessary for your recovery. In the case of angina or a urinary tract infection, these tests as well as the medication will be covered by health insurance.
“It is something that is experienced regularly, often on weekends. It is extremely painful and there is this annoying side sometimes because you know what medicine to take, the pharmacist knows it too but you don’t have not the order”, recognized, Aurélien Rousseau, Minister of Health, this Friday on FranceInfo.
Pharmacists can already perform medical procedures
There are already several protocols that allow pharmacists to perform medical acts long reserved for doctors, in order to facilitate access to care, in a context of shortage of caregivers in several regions. Pharmacists can perform certain vaccinations, renew prescriptions for long-term illnesses or help screen for colorectal cancer.
They are also able to perform rapid diagnostic orientation tests (TROD) for bacterial angina, influenza and Covid. In the event of a positive result, the patient can be redirected to a health professional or be prescribed the necessary medication if he presented himself with a prescription from his doctor.
“These referral protocols allow for quick and simpler care, given the difficulty of access to doctors,” said detailed Bruno Maleine, president of the Central Council of licensed pharmacists. The delegation of certain acts “makes it possible to unclog medical practices and emergencies, and to free up medical time”and its development is desirable “on pathologies whose complications can be controlled”, he estimated. The Order listed 73,795 pharmacists on January 1, 2023, a relatively stable figure compared to previous years, according to data released on Tuesday.