In a constant effort to improve the practice of community pharmacy in Quebec, the Parmacie Carole Cyr conducted its first independent research project in February of 2017.

The study aims to establish compliance of blood tests with the Cobas b101 device. This device allows to perform blood glucose and cholesterol tests with a simple capillary puncture (at the tip of a finger) and to have the results in fifteen minutes. The use of this device in pharmacies will allow pharmacists to have a clinical tool to make better decisions when the patients are visiting. In addition, patients save time and avoid clogging hospitals or clinics for follow-ups of glycemic or lipid profiles. This test also has a much lower overall cost than traditional blood tests.

The research project included about 40 participants who underwent both a traditional blood test and a capillary puncture. The two samples were analyzed, respectively in a laboratory and by the Cobas b101 device directly in the pharmacy. The data were then compared by an epidemiologist.

The results of the study are in the process of being published.