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Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
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Policy Memo: Reform Workplace Practices of Chain Pharmacies to Reduce Medication Errors
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Crystal D. Grant (1,4), Daniel J. Desautels (2,4), Jennifer Puthota (3,4)
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Keywords: medication error; pharmacy board; data collection; chain pharmacy; working conditions
Executive Summary: Pharmacists employed by chain pharmacies have raised concerns over corporate-mandated practices that compromise patient safety. Harsh working conditions and the pressure to meet mandated quality metrics have increased the likelihood of medication errors. Complications associated with medication errors exceed $40 billion and cause adverse health effects for hundreds of thousands of Americans annually. Despite their ubiquity, chain pharmacies face varying regulations as state pharmacy boards dictate individual statewide policies. There is minimal data collection on pharmacy practices and state pharmacy boards do not require pharmacies to report errors. We recommend Congress pass a bill mirroring the Illinois Pharmacy Practice Act to improve pharmacists’ working conditions and mandate data collection on medication errors nationwide.
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References
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Crystal Grant recently obtained her Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from Emory University where she studied the link between human health and aging. As a 2020 Christine Mirzayan fellow at the National Academies, she contributed to policies to increase the number of Women of Color in tech. Crystal is passionate about better understanding the effects of technology on society and is especially interested in ensuring the benefits of tech are applied equitably and that tech tools developed are free of harmful biases.
Daniel Desautels is a 5th year PhD student studying Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution at Emory University. He studies how changing environments alter the spread of infectious diseases. Daniel was a 2020 Christine Mirzayan fellow at the National Academies where he helped summarize current understandings of the health and wellbeing of sexual and gender diverse populations. He is interested in working in science policy after earning his PhD.
Jennifer Puthota is a 3rd year medical student at the CUNY School of Medicine. As a 2020 Christine Mirzayan fellow at the National Academies, she helped examine the state of primary care in the United States. Interested in the relationship between social determinants and well-being, Jennifer hopes to further understand how policy and medicine work together to enhance health.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the 2020 Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program. It was through this program that the authors met and were able to further their interests in science policy as a group. They would also like to thank pharmacist Jessica Manohar for her insight and would like to thank Trenell Mosley, Patrick Bendik and, our editor, Grant Hisao for their help in preparing this manuscript.
Daniel Desautels is a 5th year PhD student studying Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution at Emory University. He studies how changing environments alter the spread of infectious diseases. Daniel was a 2020 Christine Mirzayan fellow at the National Academies where he helped summarize current understandings of the health and wellbeing of sexual and gender diverse populations. He is interested in working in science policy after earning his PhD.
Jennifer Puthota is a 3rd year medical student at the CUNY School of Medicine. As a 2020 Christine Mirzayan fellow at the National Academies, she helped examine the state of primary care in the United States. Interested in the relationship between social determinants and well-being, Jennifer hopes to further understand how policy and medicine work together to enhance health.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the 2020 Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program. It was through this program that the authors met and were able to further their interests in science policy as a group. They would also like to thank pharmacist Jessica Manohar for her insight and would like to thank Trenell Mosley, Patrick Bendik and, our editor, Grant Hisao for their help in preparing this manuscript.
DISCLAIMER: The findings and conclusions published herein are solely attributed to the author and not necessarily endorsed or adopted by the Journal of Science Policy and Governance. Articles are distributed in compliance with copyright and trademark agreements.
ISSN 2372-2193
ISSN 2372-2193
