JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The increase of people with complex chronic health conditions is stressing the U.S. healthcare delivery system. Community pharmacies play a role in ensuring patients’ safe medication use for chronic care management, but their efforts are undermined by volatile work demands and other system barriers.

Objective:

This study seeks to conceptualize, design, implement, and test a MedSafeMapTM for the community pharmacy setting to enhance pharmacists’ and technicians’ abilities to either avoid, or to quickly identify and recover from, medication errors before patient safety is endangered.

Methods:

Aim 1: Four rounds of observations within the six pharmacy sites will be conducted to parse out areas MedSafeMap could address. Two rounds of interviews with a different one pharmacist and technician from each of the sites will be used to expand upon areas of interest identified during the observations. Aim 2: Focus groups with pharmacists and technicians will aid in the design of MedSafeMap components. Simulation-based research will be utilized to test MedSafeMap components with standardized patients in complex care managament scenarios. Aim 3: MedSafeMap will be implemented into pharmacies. Observations using WOMBAT for time and motion study will aid in understanding how MedSafeMap impacts pharmacy staff workflow.

Results:

As of November 15th, 2024, all six pharmacy sites have been recruited and three of four rounds of observations have been completed. Interviews have been conducted with 12 pharmacists and 11 technicians from the study sites. Preparations for Aim 2 are in the works as Aim 1 analysis continues.

Conclusions:

The MedSafeMap is an innovative approach that will be used by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to better navigate the complex tasks in the pharmacy, and to facilitate communication with both patients and clinicians, while safely providing medications to complex patients with chronic health conditions.