A solution to an unmet need: Pharmacy specialists in medication-use systems and technology

摘要

The medication-use process is complex for many reasons, including extensive use of technology in all phases of the process, demand for improved pharmacy operational efficiency, a rising patient acuity level, the increased complexity of medication preparation, and a growing number of regulatory requirements related to medication management.1 As the potential for patient harm can be introduced by errors at any step in the process, it is important that pharmacy leaders overseeing the process can demonstrate competency in all aspects of medication-use systems and operations within the health system, including but not limited to drug procurement, storage, and inventory management; compounding; dispensing; quality control; the implementation and oversight of medication-use technology, such as robots and automated dispensing cabinets; and medication administration systems. While pharmacy education and training have evolved to prepare future practitioners for greater roles in the areas of drug therapy management and monitoring, less emphasis has been placed through the years on the education of pharmacists in coordinating safe and efficient medication-use systems.1 It has been suggested that many pharmacy students gain exposure to only a few career options by the time of graduation,2,3 yet they enter a profession that continues to provide new career paths in various areas, such as informatics, medication safety, drug policy, and drug information.4 For a number of years, there has been an emphasis on the clinical practice pathway, particularly in health-system pharmacy.3 This has resulted in a relative dearth of practitioners specializing in pharmacy operations, creating serious concerns about the ability to replace retiring pharmacists who have such expertise.