CPF FUNDED GRANT DETAILS

Solution Acceleration in Patient Safety Pharmacists for Patient Safety. The purpose of this study is to: 1 implement an accelerated model for safety problem identification and solution sharing amongst pharmacists and 2 study its effectiveness in reducing harm and injury related to medication use safety to patients served by pharmacists within their local communities. There is a need to establish a dynamic communication network that accelerates solution implementation through rapid and timely identification, rapid, wide-spread notification of other pharmacists, and rapid education about practical solutions to implement amongst pharmacists in the state. This project will create a communication community amongst the often isolated rural and urban pharmacists practicing in community, skilled nursing facility, home care and critical access hospital pharmacy in the state of Nebraska that simplifies the process for practitioners to report a problem and receive a solution that is disseminated network wide. Patient safety research has shown that patientsconsumers who use community pharmacy services are more likely to report medication errors to a pharmacist than to other professionals, and they view the pharmacist as the final interceptors to detect medication errors before reaching themselves. The most recent IOM report, Preventing Medication Errors, identifies pharmacists and pharmacy services as key to the prevention strategies to reduce harm and injury from medication errors. Solutions and strategies proposed in the report for reducing preventable errors and injuries to improve patient safety nationally include medication therapy management of high risk patients by pharmacists, patient counseling and education, e-prescribing, and medication reconciliation across continuity of care points While considered safety solutions, these new technologies, methods of communication, complex drug therapies, and behavioral strategies employed by ph armacists will continuously create new opportunities for error. Pharmacists must learn where the near misses and actual errors are on an ongoing basis and implement timely solutions in response to these errors and near misses. A baseline study of the State of Patient Safety in Nebraska Pharmacy has been completed through the joint sponsorship of the Nebraska State Board of Pharmacy and the Nebraska Office of Rural Health. This information serves as a baseline about what safety needs exist and will guide us on the initial priorities to work on with the pharmacists in the state. We have established mission support with the State of Nebraska Office of Rural Health, the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, the Nebraska Medical Association, the Nebraska Telehealth Network, CIMRO the state QIO, and the Nebraska Health Care Association long term care and home care. The Office of Rural Health is interested in this becoming a sustained effort because it serves an important need to rural communities and pharmacists in the state.