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APhA Summit addresses community pharmacy workplace and well-being

Summit Report

Mickie Cathers

Pharmacists in a pharmacy.

In Washington, DC, February 22-23, 2022, APhA gathered 46 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, employers, stakeholders, and other pharmacy organizations representing over 30,000 community pharmacy practice sites to engage in meaningful discussion centered on improving workplaces, well-being, and patient safety.

APhA Community Pharmacy Workplace Summit participants pinpointed over 20 practical approaches to the challenges currently facing community pharmacies and pharmacy personnel well-being.

“There is no magic wand to quickly fix all the root causes of the stressors faced by community pharmacy personnel. The ideas and next steps generated by this Summit should prompt steps for pharmacy management and pharmacy personnel teams to jointly review and address issues in their pharmacy practices,” said Scott J. Knoer, MS, PharmD, FASHP, APhA executive vice president and CEO.

Frank discussions

Participants completed a survey ahead of the Summit to categorize key factors affecting pharmacy teams’ ability to manage competing demands while continuing to serve patients’ needs. APhA staff quantified these key factors based on participant responses to the pre-meeting survey which included workload, harassment, payment policies (e.g., PBMs, reimbursement, DIR fees), patient safety, unreasonable metrics and quotas, and communication between pharmacy teams and management, among others.

Then there was COVID-19. Already taxed pharmacy personnel were now asked to do even more, leading to increased stress and burnout.

Participants heard the sincere viewpoints of a student pharmacist and pharmacy technician who each delivered presentations on their respective perspectives before beginning a dialogue regarding actionable, meaningful steps that can be taken in their practice sites and organizations.

The final report captures insights and recommendations from the discussions and ideas identified as avenues for relevant change that pharmacy teams and management may explore in the short or long term. These suggestions include the following and more (see the final report at apha.us/SummitReport for a full list of suggestions):

Engaging in advocacy efforts
Addressing Board of Pharmacy regulations
Setting non-negotiable breaks
Managing patient-public expectations
Reforming PBM and payor policies
Tackling the pharmacy technician shortage and inadequate staff support
Investing in technology and decreasing distractions
Realigning unreasonable metrics and workload

Next steps

Summit participants listed activities for follow up that included continued conversations and creating meaningful reform through advocacy and outreach as well as open and safe internal discussions between management and pharmacy team members.

“I challenge all those in community pharmacy practice–pharmacy employers and personnel–to have open and frank discussions with the premise that each has the best intentions to enhance the community pharmacy workplace and address pharmacy personnel well-being while safely taking care of patients,” said Knoer. ■