An alternate option for tick bite treatment is lowering the number of emergency room visits in Nova Scotia

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeAtlantic CanadaNewsNova ScotiaHalifax An alternate option for tick bite treatment is lowering the number of emergency room visits in Nova Scotia Researchers find the rate of tick-related emergency room visits has decreased by half since the change was implemented Author of the article: By Emma Breton Published Sep 21, 2026 3 minute read A new study shows that pharmacist prescriptions are lowering the rate of tick-related emergency room visits. PHOTO BY MEGHAN BALOGH /Postmedia Article content Before August 2021, if a Nova Scotian experienced a tick bite and was at risk of contracting Lyme disease, they would need to see their family doctor, visit a walk-in clinic or go to the emergency department to receive treatment. Article content This led to over 600 people visiting emergency rooms due to tick bites in 16 months, waiting an average of 2.7 hours. Article content Article content The province made a change, implemented in August 2021, to give pharmacists the authority to assess tick bites and, if necessary, write prescriptions for a medication, doxycycline, which lowers the risk of developing Lyme disease. Article content Article content A recent study has found that this change is significantly reducing the number of tick bite cases in emergency rooms while increasing the number of patients receiving treatment for tick bites. Article content “After pharmacists started prescribing, we were seeing less people go to emergency departments, which is a positive benefit. Really, for a tick bite, no patients should have to go to the emergency department,” said Emily Black, a pharmacy professor at Dalhousie and the lead supervising author on the study. Article content Dr. Emily Black is a professor in Dalhousie’s College of Pharmacy and the lead supervisor author of a new study on the impact of pharmacists treating tick bites on the number of emergency room visits. PHOTO BY CONTRIBUTED BY EMILY BLACK Article content The study examined three different emergency departments in the province and examined the cases of tick bites that occurred before the change and after the change. Researchers found that the cases of tick bites in emergency rooms had decreased to a total of 402 in 16 months. Article content The frequency of tick patients in emergency rooms decreased by half, from 0.70 per cent (617 out of 88,512 total emergency room…