In pharmacy practice, verbal orders are sometimes unavoidable. Urgent clarifications, after-hours communications, emergency situations, or prescriber follow-ups often rely on spoken instructions. While verbal communication can be efficient, it also carries significant risk. Misheard drug names, incorrect doses, misunderstood frequencies, or assumptions made under time pressure can quickly lead to practice incidents that reach the […]
In a busy community pharmacy, time is always in short supply. When workflows are tight and queues are long, it can be tempting to skip steps that feel repetitive. One such step is the independent double check. Yet, again and again, pharmacy safety data shows that independent double checks are one of the most effective […]
No one likes being told something went wrong, especially when it affects their health. When a pharmacy practice incident occurs—a dispensing error, miscommunication, or medication mistake—how the pharmacy responds is just as important as preventing the event in the first place. A genuine and sincere apology is more than customary politeness. It plays a vital […]
In pharmacy practice, medication incidents don’t always stem from complex clinical decisions or high-risk drugs. Sometimes, the root cause is far simpler—and far more preventable. Dangerous abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations continue to be a major contributor to medication errors in community pharmacies. A single misunderstood abbreviation can result in the wrong dose, wrong frequency, […]
In pharmacy practice, the most dangerous errors often come from what we don’t know. Patients move between hospitals, specialists, community clinics, and pharmacies—often assuming every provider has the same complete medication list. But without a validated, up-to-date record, medication discrepancies become one of the most common sources of practice incidents, leading to therapeutic duplication, missed […]
Polypharmacy—the use of multiple medications by a single patient—is increasingly common in community pharmacy practice. Aging populations, chronic disease management, specialist involvement, and complex treatment plans all contribute to patients taking five, ten, or even more medications at the same time. While necessary for many patients, polypharmacy significantly increases the risk of practice incidents, including […]
Preventing medication errors doesn’t start with reporting—it starts with action. Under Alberta’s CQI+ framework, community pharmacies are expected not only to identify and document practice incidents and close calls but also to take meaningful steps to ensure those incidents do not happen again. Turning incident data into system-level improvements is where true safety transformation occurs. […]
✔ In-platform analysis tools Teams can examine how and why certain incidents occur, promoting a deeper understanding of system vulnerabilities. ✔ CQI meeting module PhIX offers structured agendas, discussion prompts, documentation tools, and finalization steps to ensure that learning is captured—not lost. ✔ Just Culture support By emphasizing system-level factors, PhIX encourages a safe environment […]
How the Safe Pharmacy PracticeSelf-Assessment Tool Helps Pharmacy Teams Proactively Identify Risks Creating a safer, more reliable pharmacy practice doesn’t happen by accident—it happens through intentional reflection, structured review, and ongoing improvement. As Alberta transitions into the CQI+ era, pharmacy teams must move beyond reactive responses and start recognizing risks before they lead to incidents. […]
Selecting and Implementing a Practice Incident Management Platform: One of the Most Important Steps in Preparing Your Pharmacy for CQI+** Continuous Quality Improvement Plus (CQI+) represents one of the most significant practice changes Alberta pharmacies have seen in years. With the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP) mandating structured incident reporting, ongoing analysis, and evidence-based improvement […]
