Safety self-assessment

To support a proactive review of safety in the pharmacy environment, each licensed pharmacy must have individual access to an online safety self-assessment tool.

A safety self-assessment is a tool that supports a pharmacy team – not just the licensee – in reflecting on their practices and proactively identifying processes which may contribute to patient risk. This tool is not a test, and it is not expected that a pharmacy will score highly in all areas. The results are not shared or provided to ACP. Instead, they are intended to help pharmacy teams identify opportunities to improve safety and the quality of the care they provide. All team members should be encouraged to contribute to the safety self-assessment, and risks identified in the safety self-assessment should be mitigated through the creation of action plans (see Improve).

There are two safety self-assessment products currently available in Canada:

• Medication Safety Self-Assessment (MSSA) from ISMP Canada
  • This product may be purchased separately or may be included for pharmacy teams using ISMP Canada’s CPhIR software for the documentation of practice incidents and close calls.
• Pharmacy Safety Self-Assessment (PSSA) from ThinkResearch
  • This product may be purchased as a standalone offering or may be included for pharmacy teams using ThinkResearch’s Pharmapod software for the documentation of practice incidents and close calls.

If the pharmacy’s practice incident management platform does not have an included safety self-assessment tool, the pharmacy must subscribe to one of these standalone safety self-assessment products in addition to the platform.

A pharmacy review by corporate management does not satisfy the safety self-assessment requirement for CQI+, nor does a casual observance of pharmacy practice.

Documentation of a safety self-assessment

A safety self-assessment, including actions taken as a result, must be documented by the licensee at least every two years. If the licensee of a pharmacy changes, the safety self-assessment must be conducted within six months of the new licensee being instated. While the results of the self-assessment do not need to be reported or submitted outside of the pharmacy, records must be retained for inspection by ACP.