Innovations-Magazine-August-2022 - 17

ASSOCIATION NEWS
Task Force Examines Working Conditions, Recommends
Model Act Updates and Collaborative Efforts to Support
Workplace Safety
During the meeting of the Task Force on
Workplace Safety and Well-Being, task
force members recommended that NABP
further its collaboration with stakeholders
such as the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the
Institute for Safe Medication Practices to
develop a standardized continuous quality
improvement (CQI) program that boards of
pharmacy can recommend to their licensees.
The CQI program would include training
on developing and implementing the
program as well as regularly monitoring the
program to ensure that it is effective.
The task force further recommended that
NABP collaborate with AHRQ to provide
a platform for obtaining and sharing deidentified
aggregate medication error data that
can be shared with relevant stakeholders to
improve patient safety.
Additional recommendations from the
task force included that NABP endorse the
recommendation of the Task Force on Safety
Sensitive Measures to Review Medication Errors
to explore the development of a medication
safety training academy and that NABP
further collaborate with other organizations to
emphasize the importance of mental wellbeing
and care for mental health. Members
also recommended that NABP endorse the
American Pharmacists Association's (APhA's)
and National Alliance of State Pharmacy
Associations' Pharmacist's Fundamental
Responsibilities and Rights document, which
focuses on pharmacists' responsibilities and
the workplace expectations needed to fulfill
those responsibilities. A guest speaker from
APhA stressed that workplace demands have
significantly increased in recent years, largely due
to the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019
and the unprecedented demand for testing and
vaccinations, which have been compounded
by the stress related to patient demands for
medication against the pharmacist's professional
judgment. These issues were worsened further
by staffing shortages.
Lastly, the task force reviewed the Model State
Pharmacy Act and Model Rules of the National
Association of Boards of Pharmacy and suggested
three possible changes.
First, members concurred that the
definitions pertaining to errors, adverse events,
and missed errors should mirror those used by
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
and be reviewed and amended, if needed.
One of the biggest discussion points that
did not result in a recommendation was
that of staffing levels, which were discussed
throughout the task force meeting. While some
members discussed state efforts to regulate
pharmacy technician-to-pharmacist ratios, the
task force made no formal recommendation
for NABP to act regarding the issue. However,
on the issue of mandatory break provisions,
members agreed that a provision for mandated
breaks should be added to help alleviate
physical and mental stress for pharmacy staff,
although members acknowledged that this
could cause workflow backlogs.
In addition, members decided that an
anti-retaliatory or whistleblower provision
should be added to encourage pharmacy
Task Force Charge
1. Examine the topics of pharmacy workplace safety and pharmacist well-being and
their effects on patient safety.
2. Review existing guidelines and objective tools that address these issues and make
recommendations regarding their use.
3. Amend, if necessary, the Model State Pharmacy Act and Model Rules of the
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to reflect the work of this task force.
personnel to report unsafe working conditions
to boards of pharmacy without concern for
retaliatory action. Specific language regarding
the above recommendation will be provided
to the Committee on Law Enforcement/
Legislation and ultimately the NABP
Executive Committee for consideration.
The task force met on November 18-19,
2021, at NABP Headquarters in Mount
Prospect, IL. This task force was established
pursuant to Resolution 117-4-21, Task Force
on Workplace Safety and Well-Being, which
was approved by NABP membership during
the Association's 117th
Annual Meeting that
was held virtually in May 2021.
Members of the task force included:
* John Kirtley, PharmD, RPh, chair;
* Ashley Duggins, PharmD, RPh;
* Diane Halvorson, RPhTech, CPhTAdv,
CSPT;
* Marty Hendrick, PharmD, DPh;
* Kevin Morgan, PharmD, RPh;
* Carrie Phillips, MS, PharmD, RPh;
* Kristopher " Kris " Ratliff, RPh, DPh;
* Kari Shanard-Koenders, MSJ, RPh;
* Ellen Shinaberry, PharmD, RPh;
* Jeffrey " Jeff " Sinko, RPh;
* Joanne Trifone, RPh;
* Tim Tucker, PharmD, RPh;
* Keith Vance, PharmD, RPh;
* Barbara Ellen Vick, PharmD, JD,
RPh; and
* Shane Wendel, PharmD, RPh,
Executive Committee liaison.
Mitch Rothholz, MBA, RPh, of APhA also
attended as a guest.
AUGUST 2022 | 15
https://nabp.pharmacy/members/board-resources/ https://nabp.pharmacy/members/board-resources/
Innovations-Magazine-August-2022

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