The following is excerpted from a presentation to the Ontario Seniors' Secretariat Liaison Committee, February 19, 2008, by Elaine Maloney, Ontario Public Drug Programs.

MedsCheck was put into operation April 1, 2007 for Ontarians taking three Rx medications. It is a 30-minute consultation with a person's pharmacist to talk about prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. It builds awareness and understanding of medicines and provides an opportunity to ask health-related questions. As of January 12, 2008, 163,511 Ontarians had received a MedsCheck. The results of consultations are reflected in the following statements.

A pharmacist from Durham Region reported "During the review I learned that my patient was recently discharged from the hospital and was no longer taking any medication. He had several chronic conditions and thought that his hospital visit had cured him and wasn't specifically told to continue on his meds, therefore, assumed he no longer required them. He's now back on his meds."

From a pharmacist in the Mississauga/Brampton area "I counseled a man who was using his Advair DiskusrŪ 250 once daily, because he believed the less medication the better. He did not realize one puff of Advair DiskusŪ 250 only lasts 12 hours. Ever since his MedsCheck he had been using his Advair DiskusŪ twice a day and [has a ] much better control of his asthma symptoms as [a] result.

Another case from Mississauga/Brampton "A woman I met with was using ZestrilŪ 10 mg and couldn't understand why she was coughing all the time. After the MedsCheck she got her doctor to switch her ace-inhibitor to NorvascŪ and her side effect was gone."

The value to the patients of MedsCheck includes taking medication as directed, when to take it, how to take it, what to take it with; awareness of what the medication is for; avoiding side effects; refuting false assumptions about your medications/condition; filling in the gaps - communication and asking questions; building relationships with your pharmacist, establishing a home base and trust; education - awareness of your health, and building a sense of empowerment.