A team of Montreal researchers has said that Canada needs improved doctor-pharmacist collaboration.

Health providers will have no other option than to rely on inter-professional collaboration in order to compensate for the lack of medical personnel, study co-author Dr. Eveline Hudon of the University of Montreal Faculty of Medicine and colleagues predicted.

Hudon said in a statement, "We knew that collaboration between physicians and nurses was successful, and now we know that the same potential exists for physicians and pharmacists. Pharmacists are open to taking on new responsibilities."

It was found by Hudon and colleagues that the pharmacists counselled patients about their medications, requested laboratory tests, monitored effectiveness and safety of treatments, adjusted dosages and verified patient adherence.

The study further said that collaborative care involving physicians and pharmacists had no significant impact on cholesterol control.