This past February, community pharmacy teams across Alberta needed to have all the requirements of CQI+ in place. Now, pharmacy teams are being asked to make the requirements of CQI+ part of what they do every day. Here are a few tips to help pharmacy teams make this happen to ensure that safety is not just what we do—it’s who we are.
Make the requirements of CQI+ second nature.
For many teams, meeting the requirements of CQI+ could feel like a big change. Some of these changes include adopting a more proactive and system-based approach to identifying and addressing risks, engaging the full pharmacy team in structured discussions on practice incidents and close calls, and completing safety self-assessments that lead to meaningful action. The good news is this might not be as fundamental a shift in a pharmacy team’s workflow as one might think. For years, pharmacy teams have been analyzing, investigating, and managing practice incidents and close calls, whether this happened internally at the pharmacy level or at a systems level within a larger organization.
CQI+ is not a separate task–it’s how safe pharmacy practice is carried out every day.
To make the adjustment as seamless as possible, pharmacy teams should work to integrate CQI+ into their existing workflows—so creating an entirely new workflow shouldn’t be necessary. As mentioned, most pharmacy teams have been doing drug error management for quite some time. The key is making the concepts of CQI+ part of already existing workflows.
For example, one of the requirements of CQI+ is for the team to have quarterly continuous quality improvement (CQI) meetings. To align with existing practices and habits, why not include a standing CQI agenda item in already planned, existing staff meetings? Another good approach is to adopt new practice incident management platform tools into the pharmacy team’s existing workflow. This way, using the tools won’t seem like extra steps in a process, which can sometimes be a barrier for pharmacy teams.
Build good habits.
A good way to think about achieving success with CQI+ is to not think about it as a list of tasks that need to be completed. Rather, look for value in the program and build good habits from that value.
For example, instead of documenting generic information to be able to say a requirement was completed, pharmacy teams are encouraged to discuss, develop, and document specific action items to help prevent recurrence of a practice incident or close call. Making this type of documentation a regular practice and revisiting these action plans during quarterly CQI meetings helps build consistent habits that lead to meaningful improvements for the team.
Make CQI+ a shared responsibility.
For a pharmacy team’s CQI program to be a success, responsibility cannot simply lie on the shoulders of the licensee or a single team member. Every member of the pharmacy team needs to be involved.
Success depends on sustained engagement at all levels: licensees, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and unregulated employees all play a critical role in making CQI+ effective and impactful.
Safety is not just what we do—it’s who we are.
CQI+ is part of everyday practice. It’s embedded into how pharmacy teams operate, make decisions, and contribute to patient safety.
Progress takes time, consistency, and engagement. Continued participation and accurate reporting are critical to long-term success.
ACP encourages pharmacy teams to be proactive. Conduct safety self-assessments. Hold regular CQI meetings. Encourage participation. Engage with patients. These will all contribute to enhanced patient safety and pharmacy team safety.
