One observation I’ve made over the years is how isolated and siloed hospital pharmacists and pharmacy directors can be. While pharmacists are some of the hardest-working and most brilliant healthcare workers, they do not have the opportunities other healthcare professionals have to consult and share with other pharmacists. Many pharmacists are head down, working to manage a busy hospital pharmacy and provide medications to people who need them.
Pharmacists are what we’ve become accustomed to calling the “front-line workers” when it comes to patient care and safety, which includes USP <800>. Although all pharmacists face USP <797> and USP <800> guidelines and inspections, they don’t have a conduit to share what is working and what is not. The support pharmacists could provide each other has the potential to make this arduous process easier - or at least allow everyone to see they’re in the same boat struggling to get to the USP <800> shore.
A Community is Born
While it wasn't what we set out to do, the need for a formulary community arose and we were there for it. At first, we hosted Formweb webinars - ‘Formweb Refresh’ and ‘Formweb Ignite’ - providing training on Formweb and enabling users to share tips and tricks on formulary and Formweb.
Because these virtual meetups were so well attended, we created ‘Focus on Formweb’ in-person events for training and networking. Prior to pandemic shutdowns, we’d spend one day sharing updates to Formweb, and then for the additional two days, pharmacists shared Formweb and formulary best practices. It was fantastic to see the amount of information and support shared across this group of typically independent professionals.
Of course, the pandemic ended ‘Focus on Formweb’ user events, but we are considering bringing them back either in Fall 2023 or Spring 2024. (Side note: We’d love to hear if you are interested in becoming part of the Formweb/formulary community and attending an in-person event. Email us here.
We’re Doing it Again
In 2021 and 2022, as USP <800> moved to the forefront of pharmacy initiatives, we’ve seen the need for community arise again. Although pharmacists are a proud and highly intellectual, not to mention busy, bunch, we’re getting inquiries wondering how other hospitals are handling the documentation and communication of hazardous safety information to their entire healthcare workforce. Also, many are curious about what inspections entail and the areas CMS and local and state boards of health inspectors seem to be honing in on.
Again, to meet the need for community and support around USP <800> efforts, we’re hosting a free webinar series to quickly share in about 15 minutes what we know and what we’re hearing from our customers about inspections, progress and more. Then we’ll use the rest of the time for you to share knowledge, ask questions or just commiserate among yourselves. Information about the USP <800> Lunch + Learn series is located here. We hope you’ll stop by!
As always, we are here to help as you work to protect patients and healthcare workers and achieve USP <800> compliance. Email us anytime.