|
EPI Home Study Addresses the Problem
of Dispensing Errors
According to Statistics Canada, more than seven million Canadians are 55 years or older. While this growing segment only accounts for 20% of the population, they account for 40 percent of all prescriptions dispensed. This highlights an industry-wide problem: the shortage of pharmacists. As prescription volumes grow, pharmacists will be forced to fill more prescriptions in less time. How can we improve output, productivity, and efficiency without the increased workload leading to increases in dispensing errors?
The Efficient Pharmacy Institute is pleased to provide an accredited home study to address these problems and propos solutions to make the practice of pharmacy more efficient without sacrificing dispensing accuracy or patient care.
"Work overload can significantly elevate prescription errors," says Wayne Caverly one of the authors. "In fact, studies have found that nearly 30 percent of the pharmacist's time can be freed with automation, and another 30 percent is spent on tasks that can be delegated to technicians yet some pharmacists still insist on spending their time retrieving and counting product."
Turnover of personnel and on-the-job stress can be reduced when pharmacists are freed from "count and pour" dispensing for more rewarding, customer-centered tasks.
According to Dr. Anthony Grasha, professor of psychology at the University of Cincinnati and an expert in human error research, "the best environment is one in which automation evens out the workload and allows people to practice at a steady pace, reducing the likelihood of errors."
"Automation is invaluable, outperforming humans in tasks that require repetition, concentration, and record-keeping; indeed, automated counting has been estimated to be twenty times more accurate than hand counting," says Caverly.
"We developed this program to help pharmacists understand what are the factors that contribute to errors in dispensing medications and what types of automation and technology are available to minimize dispensing errors, improve patient safety and reduce workplace stress," says Bev Allen, one of the co-authors.
Three experts in pharmacy practice, Bev Allen, Sandra Aylward and Wayne Caverly, developed this educational program. Bev Allen BSP, is currently Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan and is a past- president of the CPhA. He is highly sought after speaker at pharmacy association meetings throughout Canada. Sandra Aylward BSc. Pharm, is currently VP of Pharmacy Services for Lawton's Drug. She served as president of Nova Scotia Pharmacy Association and is past-president of National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities. Wayne Caverly (at the time of writing was) President, McKesson Canada and its design services -- Solutions by Design TM. He has been involved in pharmacy automation, productivity and design since 1984 and lectures extensively on those topics in US and Canada
|
|
