MPA approves model community pharmacy workplace standards

Association presents standards to President Clinton as a means to reduce medication errors

The Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) has approved a set of community pharmacy workplace standards aimed at assuring that the pharmacy workplace environment and pharmacy staff are optimally utilized to maximize the protection of the health, safety and welfare of patients.

MPA created the standards as a set of minimum requirements to assure that the pharmacist has the greatest potential to provide safe and responsible pharmacy services. The minimum requirements recognize the basic legal requirements of Michigan, including the mandatory counseling of patients.

"Pharmacists who are overburdened and understaffed present a very real threat of harm not only to themselves, but also to the patients who depend on them," said MPA CEO Larry Wagenknecht, R.Ph. "These standards should be considered a place to start. These are not lofty goals. There is nothing in these standards that should be a barrier to immediate implementation. Changes need to be made in the name of patient safety."

MPA has forwarded a copy of its Community Pharmacy Workplace Standards to President Bill Clinton and applauds the president’s recent stance calling for a reduction in the number of medication errors. The association wants to demonstrate to President Clinton the types of voluntary efforts being developed by the profession to address this patient safety issue. MPA believes its Community Pharmacy Workplace Standards are among the various solutions that will reduce the number of medication errors that go undetected until they cause harm to the patient.

Developing the Community Pharmacy Workplace Standards has been a high priority for MPA because of the great number of patients served by community pharmacists. For two years, association members worked to define this set of minimum standards that should easily be able to be implemented in every community pharmacy across the state. MPA will soon begin developing workplace standards for other practice settings to ensure patient safety across the continuum of care.

The association recognizes that the current pharmacist shortage has put a premium on pharmacists’ time and that the prescription volume keeps increasing. However, MPA believes there is a maximum amount of work any professional can do; work performed beyond a person’s limitations is more likely to contain mistakes. The workplace standards dictate that systems, personnel including trained pharmacy technicians, and procedures be in place for the pharmacist to be able to prevent workload burnout and, ultimately, potentially dangerous medication errors.

MPA’s Community Pharmacy Workplace Standards are as follows:

The Michigan Pharmacists Association
Model Community Pharmacy Workplace Standards

Model Community Pharmacy Workplace Standards are necessary to assure that the pharmacy workplace environment and pharmacy staff are optimally utilized to maximize the protection of the health, safety and welfare of patients. These standards are created as a minimum requirement to assure that the pharmacist has the greatest potential to provide safe and responsible pharmacy services. The minimum requirements recognize the basic legal requirements of Michigan, including the mandatory counseling of patients. The following principles have been developed to assure patient safety:

1. The pharmacist is ultimately responsible for the prevention of errors and the safe provision of care to the patient.
   
   
2. The pharmacist must be empowered to make decisions that ensure patient safety and provide appropriate patient care.
   
   
3. The environment of the pharmacy must allow and encourage the exercise of the pharmacist’s professional judgment.
   
   
4. Appropriate staffing levels are critical within the pharmacy. Supportive pharmacy personnel staffing within a community pharmacy should be a minimum of five (5) minutes of assistance from competent pharmacy technicians for each prescription dispensed in the pharmacy. This model does not take into account system advancements (robotics, computer enhancements or other technologies) or dispensing models where the pharmacist is involved in patient counseling only. A pharmacist should not, on average, be scheduled for more than a maximum 10-hour per day shift. Pharmacists may make alternative shift arrangements in advance, considering limits on personal capabilities, patient safety and professional obligations.
   
   
5. Pharmacist and pharmacy technician staffing must be appropriate to the situation, with pharmacists having input on staffing requirements, including the use of pharmacy technicians and other supportive help.
   
   
6. Authority over pharmacy working conditions must be shared between management and pharmacist with public safety being the primary objective.
   
   
7. A professional environment must exist with well-defined workflow patterns to maximize pharmacist/patient interaction and to ensure patient safety.
   
   
8. The pharmacy site must comply with all laws and administrative rules and provide pharmacist access to appropriate pharmacy technology – professional resource materials and appropriate computer software that recognizes the current legal and professional practice of pharmacy.
   
   
9. Job descriptions for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy support personnel must be specific and not be open-ended.
   
   
10. Policies and procedures within the pharmacy must provide for the pharmacist’s professional judgment in the delivery of patient care.