New Year's Resolutions: Honouring the past,Planning for the Future

For those of you who may wonder about the origin of making resolutions at the beginning of each year, I offer the following: The name “January” derives from Janus, the ancient Roman god of gateways, doorways, beginnings, and endings. ¹ Janus is often symbolized by a face that looks forward and backward at the same time. This image has long been associated with the month that provides an opportunity to cast out the old and bring in the new. Dating back to the times of early Babylonians, January has become a time when many reflect on events of the previous year and often resolve to improve some aspect of daily life or personal philosophy. ² Being a long-time resolution maker, both personally and professionally, I've enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on the past year in the Canadian pharmacy world and outline a few plans (or resolutions) on behalf of CPJ. So what can readers expect in 2007?

We'll be including several reflections on the history of pharmacy in Canada (starting with our covers), as our publisher, the Canadian Pharmacists Association, celebrates its centennial year. We still have a lot to learn from our predecessors in this profession and need to be reminded not to repeat mistakes made in the past, particularly when dealing with expanded scopes of practice (see Notes, pages 13 and 18).

We will be expanding our content relating to the pharmacist's role in public health, whether it be participation in structured, government-sanctioned programs like emergency preparedness, vaccination, and harm reduction (see this month's practice profile on page 25) or the unrecognized public health efforts of individual pharmacists in areas such as the prevention of HIV/AIDS and West Nile disease. We will continue to publish themed supplements (see Collaborative Care enclosed with this issue) and pharmacist-specific guidelines on a variety of topics and will introduce new columns and features to our readers as the year progresses — all with the aim of making it easier for our readers to translate knowledge into practice.

Most importantly, we will be working to broaden the reach of CPJ, the only peer-reviewed journal published for community pharmacists in Canada and one of very few publications in the world dedicated to the advancement of pharmacy practice. As our Editorial Board Chair, Ross Tsuyuki, explains in this issue's guest editorial, CPJ is providing a forum for disseminating the work of pharmacy practice researchers — a role that is crucial in a country where almost 25% of hospital admissions can be attributed to largely preventable drug-related incidents ³ (see Notes on page 14). If Canadian pharmacists are to be appropriately recognized and compensated for their ability to identify, solve, and prevent drug-related problems, we must be able to provide evidence of the value of these interventions and our ability to perform them consistently. Governments and third-party payers are justified in demanding Canadian “proof” of pharmacists' claims and our capacity for non-dispensing activities — studies from the UK and Australia just won't cut it. Despite many laudable efforts in various parts of the country, it would appear from recent research that we still have a long way to go (see pages 23 and 32) to provide these interventions across the spectrum of community practice sites.

As we move forward in responding to the challenges and opportunities that 2007 will offer, we need to hear what you need from the Canadian Pharmacists Journal. Our editorial staff and advisory board have 2 of the 3 keys to successfully implementing any resolution — clear vision and commitment — but we need your support to complete the task. Why not resolve to send us an idea for an article or contribute to our Reader Feedback Group?

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!