Pharmacist-reported practice change as a result of a statewide community pharmacy accreditation program

Abstract

Objectives: To assess pharmacist-reported practice change as a result of participation in a community pharmacy accreditation program.

Setting: Community pharmacy practice in Wisconsin.

Practice innovation: The Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative (WPQC) is a network of pharmacies and pharmacists who provide standardized pharmacy services. WPQC is based on a unique set of quality-based best practices designed to improve patient safety in the medication use process. WPQC is supported by the statewide pharmacy organization, the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW), which provides resources focused on implementation and engagement to support the success of WPQC-accredited pharmacies.

Program evaluation: PSW used a 24-question online survey to evaluate the degree of pharmacist-reported practice change as a result of the WPQC quality-based best practices.

Results: Pharmacist-reported frequency and consistency of all quality-based best practices and services increased after WPQC accreditation (P < 0.05), with the exception of robotic dispensing systems, holding regular staff meetings for team communication, and providing incentives for recording quality-related events. In addition, quality-based best practices and WPQC services had a positive impact on pharmacist perceptions of their quality of patient care, patient safety, patient satisfaction, and patient relationships in WPQC-accredited pharmacies. The majority of pharmacies valued WPQC accreditation and shared positive comments about their experiences.

Conclusion: A community pharmacy accreditation program using standardized quality-based best practices can create and reinforce behavior change in the community pharmacy setting to positively affect patient care and medication safety. Research is needed to determine if there are actual behavior changes as a result of WPQC accreditation compared with pharmacies that have elected not to participate.