There is an old fable about the boy who cried wolf. We all know he lost his credibility with his village, and we all know why.Since the changes brought about in Ontario by the Government, not much has yet changed in the delivery of pharmacy services. The dire threats of the previous few months have not come to pass, and no big changes or impacts upon patients have been yet seen. Which of course begs the question: what was all the fuss about?It seemed that pharmacy and pharmacists universally agreed that this was bad, and that things had to change drastically if the proposed regulations went through. Yet when the you-know-what hit the fan it was business as usual. Maybe there were a few cosmetic changes like delivery charges and pill splitting fees, but nothing that shakes the foundation of pharmacist practice and the business that supports it.If I am the public, or the media, or the Government for that matter, and I am watching this, I might have a little patience for pharmacy to respond to these changes. At the same time, I am already doubting that pharmacy is going to hurt as bad as everyone claimed.Pharmacists have been asked more than once now to cry wolf to their patients. Does anyone really believe that the next time they are asked that patients will believe them? Or will they really need to see the wolf to truly believe. And by then will it be too late.See next: the Emperor’s new clothes.
