Board Launches New Patient Safety
Campaign
A Message from the Board President
For over 100 years, the Missouri Board of Pharmacy has
served the public by ensuring the safe regulation of pharmacy
practice in Missouri. Public protection is the Board’s
primary mission and in the forefront of all that the Board
does. In line with this mission, the Board is pleased to announce
its 2013 MoSafeRx patient safety campaign.
The goal of the MoSafeRx campaign is to promote a
culture of patient safety in all pharmacy practice settings.
According to the United States Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality (AHRQ), more than 777,000 injuries
and deaths are caused each year by adverse drug events.
Health care costs for treating these patients are estimated
to be anywhere from $1.56 billion to $5.6 billion a year.
Now more than ever, it is important that the Board joins
the crucial discussion on ways to increase patient safety in
the pharmacy profession. Board licensees are usually the
last ones to interact with a patient before a prescription is
dispensed. The decisions we make can change lives.
As a licensed and practicing pharmacist for over 22 years,
I know the busy demands of pharmacy. However, I also know
how important it is to protect our patients. Patient safety is
more than just providing the right drug and the right dose
to the right person. Instead, it is a daily commitment to
protecting our patients in everything we do.
Visit the Board’s Web site at http://pr.mo.gov/pharmacists
for more information on the MoSafeRx campaign. The Web
site contains a variety of patient safety tools and resources,
including the following:
♦♦ Consumer brochures are available in English and Spanish
on a variety of patient safety topics, including how
to use medication safely and how to safely store and
dispose of unwanted medicine. A “Personal Medication
List” is also available to assist patients with recording
their medications. ♦♦ The video “Medication Safety: A Patient’s Perspective”
provides a sharp reminder of how medical errors can
permanently change lives.
♦♦ March 2013 is National Patient Safety Month. Check
the Board’s Web site in March for additional information
on National Patient Safety Month activities sponsored
by the Board.
♦♦ Free patient safety continuing education courses
geared specifically for Missouri licensees (dates to be
announced).
♦♦ Food and Drug Administration patient safety videos and
practice resources made specifically for pharmacists
and pharmacy technicians.
Do not know where to begin? The Board recommends
that you use the Board’s Web site to first educate yourself
and your staff on ways to enhance patient safety. To assist
you, the Board is encouraging every pharmacist-in-charge
(PIC) and pharmacy to complete the Pharmacy Survey
on Patient Safety at your practice site. This interactive
self-assessment tool developed by AHRQ will help assess
patient safety awareness in your pharmacy. Initially
developed for clinical pharmacists, the Pharmacy Survey
on Patient Safety can be used to assess patient safety in any
practice setting. A complete survey toolkit and instructions
are available on AHRQ’s Web site at www.ahrq.gov/qual/
patientsafetyculture/pharmsurvindex.htm.
Patient safety is our responsibility. Together, we can help
ensure SAFE PRACTICE, SAFE PATIENTS, and a SAFE
MISSOURI.
Pamela Marshall, RPh
President
Source Missouri Newsletter February 2013
See also Prior Post with Meeting and Agenda