Because you won't fit in their suitcase: 7 ways you can help your globe-trotting patients

COVID restrictions are easing up in many parts of the world and many Canadians have carried over vacation days from the last two years and are itching to use them before they lose them. So, while the risk of COVID persists, Canadians are starting to travel again. Pharmacists have an important role to play in keeping their patients healthy before, during and after travel, said Dr. Sherilyn Houle, assistant professor at University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy. She shared seven pharmacy best practices for helping patients get ready for travel. Read: Mixed messages for travellers Invite them for a pre-travel consultation While many of your patients may not share their travel plans with you, there are certain clues that can help you identify those getting ready for a trip: like a prescription for malaria medication, or a request for extra supplies of glucose-monitor strips. Take the opportunity to invite your patient to sit down for a pre-travel consultation—preferably a couple of weeks before their departure date—to assess what they’ll need to protect their health while they’re away. Check for incomplete vaccine series As you review a patient’s file, check for any vaccine series they started but never completed and suggest they follow through on the next dose. For example, if a patient received the first dose of a hepatitis-A vaccine two years ago, it’s a good idea to get the follow-up dose before getting on that plane. “You don’t have to re-start the series and getting the follow-up dose late is better than not getting it at all,” said Houle. Read: Every Rx for a travel vaccine represents an opportunity Suggest they switch to a better mask Airports are crowded places, especially with lineups that snake around in areas such as security and customs checkpoints. Remind patients to trade their everyday face cover to a higher-quality piece of PPE like a KN95 or better, and to consider staying masked up even after COVID rules no longer require them to do so. This is especially important for patients with existing health issues. Urge them to plan for getting sick abroad No one likes to think they’ll get sick on holiday, but it does happen. Advice patients to have a plan in case they get sick abroad. Encourage them to look into travel insurance, particularly ones that include coverage for expenses incurred by forced quarantine due to COVID. As part of this plan, patients with chronic conditions they manage with medication should bring between one- to two-weeks’ worth of extra medications and medical accessories in case they do need to quarantine in another country. Remind them to update their first-aid kit It’s important for travellers to inspect their portable first-aid kit and replace items they may have used up on previous trips, such as bandages and ointments for cuts and burns. Painkillers and other medicinal products such calamine lotion and traveller’s diarrhea medications should be checked to ensure adequate supply and that expiry dates haven’t come and gone. And don’t forget that toiletry bag inspection Most people who travel regularly keep their toiletry bags packed with supplies like sunscreen and toothpaste. If they haven’t gone away over the last two years—or even if they have—they should go through their toiletry bag to make sure whatever they’ve got stashed in there hasn’t spoiled or expired, said Houle. Welcome them back with a post-travel check Where appropriate, follow up with patients after they’ve returned from a trip. Be alert to events such as a patient developing a fever, even when this happens several weeks after they’ve come back. “Especially if they went to an area that has malaria, if a patient reports a fever then the pharmacist should recommend that they be assessed to rule out malaria,” said Houle. A patient with prolonged diarrhea could be suffering from a protozoal or an e-coli infection, she added. Read: Pharmacy U presenter Pavithra Ravi: When your patients begin to travel abroad

Because you won't fit in their suitcase: 7 ways you can help your globe-trotting patients

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