WASHINGTON, DC — The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) today announced the launch of the first confidential reporting mechanism of its kind to collect anonymous reports from pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists about their positive and negative experiences in the pharmacy workplace.
The Pharmacy Workplace and Well-being Reporting (PWWR) portal was developed in response to the desire by pharmacy personnel across many practice settings for a venue to address workplace concerns and suggest improvements, without fear of retribution.
The reports will be collected and analyzed by the Alliance for Patient Medication Safety, a federally recognized Patient Safety Organization, to help tell a collective, powerful story to spark change and improvement in pharmacy personnel well-being, and patient safety. The information collected is protected by the confidentiality and privilege provisions of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005. Submissions to the PWRR cannot be disclosed or subpoenaed, and are not subject to discovery in a legal proceeding.
“Pharmacists and pharmacy personnel workplace issues and their relationship to personal well-being continue to be a critical, complex issue across all practice settings,” said APhA President Sandra Leal, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA, CDCES. “In recent decades, considerable work has been done to identify and understand medication errors, including near misses, and characterize the root causes. What has been lacking in the research is a critical examination of workplace factors and solutions to determine how they affect pharmacy personnel well-being and patient safety.”
“Pharmacists have asked for a way to discuss these issues without fear of retribution. They want to learn about solutions colleagues have instituted to make real changes in their pharmacy practice to better take care of their patients,” said Garth Reynolds, BSPharm, RPh, MBA, president of NASPA. “PWWR was developed by APhA and NASPA to address their request. What is learned from their positive and negative experiences and solutions can serve as the foundation of best practices, education, and recommendations to enhance the pharmacy workplace, patient safety, and pharmacy personnel well-being.”
About the American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association is the only organization advancing the entire pharmacy profession. Our expert staff, and strong volunteer leadership, including many experienced pharmacists, allow us to deliver vital leadership to help pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists and pharmacy technicians find success and satisfaction in their work, while advocating for changes that benefit them, their patients and their communities. For more information, please visit www.pharmacist.com.
About the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations
The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, founded in 1927 as the National Council of State Pharmacy Association Executives, is dedicated to enhancing the success of state pharmacy associations in their efforts to advance the profession of pharmacy. NASPA’s membership is comprised of state pharmacy associations and over 70 other stakeholder organizations. NASPA promotes leadership, sharing, learning, and policy exchange among its members and pharmacy leaders nationwide. For more information, visit https://naspa.us.
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