Last week’s flu clinic incident at NorQuest College in Edmonton spotlighted the importance of having and following the Standards and safety procedures when administering injections. ACP is working with all involved parties to understand the incident and see how similar situations can be avoided in future.
We encourage all pharmacy staff involved in administering drugs by injection to review the following safety reminders.
- Wash your hands before each immunization.
- Ensure that you have up-to-date policies and procedures in place and ALL staff are familiar with them.
- Ensure the vaccine is being administered in an appropriate environment. See Standard 16 of the Standards of Practice for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians for requirements.
- Take all the steps necessary, as outlined in Standard 17, to ensure that the vaccine is administered safely.
- Ensure there are sufficient staff, time, and resources available to provide immunization services safely and professionally. Patients and the process should not be rushed and patient confidentiality must always be protected.
- Meet all the requirements outlined in Alberta Health’s Influenza Immunization Policy. This includes:
- Not immunizing children less than nine years of age,
- Maintaining the cold chain and managing and reporting any breaks, and
- Reporting any adverse events to AHS.
Appendix C1 of Alberta Health’s Influenza Immunization Policy details expectations for pharmacists and pharmacies.
Originally published in the November 4, 2014 issue of The Link
