Pharmapod selected to implement the largest medication safety program of its kind in Canada
Pharmapod Ltd is pleased to announce it has been selected by the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) to implement a medication safety program across all the pharmacies in Ontario.
Ontario is the largest province in Canada with 4,129 pharmacies out of a total number of 10,100 pharmacies nationwide. Pharmapod was selected as part of a formal competitive RFP process in keeping with standard procurement practices. The seven-member evaluation team’s decision to move forward with the Pharmapod solution for the medication safety program was unanimous. The system will introduce a standardised approach to quality assurance in all pharmacies throughout the province. Involving 45% of pharmacies in Canada, this initiative will be the largest medication safety program of its kind in Canada.
The OCP is the registering and regulating body for the profession of pharmacy in Ontario. Earlier this year, the OCP introduced a new medication safety program that will make it mandatory for pharmacies to anonymously report medication errors so that the reasons behind medications incidents can be analysed and shared. The College will now work with Pharmapod on delivering a progressive, market leading initiative which will set the bar for international practice.
Pharmapod’s medication error reporting platform was chosen as it is robust, intuitive and highly scalable. It is also able to integrate with national data systems yet is customisable and flexible to meet the needs of Canada’s largest pharmacy regulator. Pharmapod will provide aggregate data that will help the OCP understand and monitor trends, share learnings and develop tools and resources to implement improvement.
When asked about the decision, Nancy Lum-Wilson, CEO and Registrar of Ontario College of Pharmacist said
We believe Pharmapod’s solution is an ideal choice for us as Canada’s largest pharmacy regulator whose mission is to serve and protect the public. We also believe it is an ideal choice for Ontario’s pharmacies, which will benefit from an innovative technical platform developed by pharmacy professionals for pharmacy professionals.
Pharmapod also has a partnership with the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) which will support a successful implementation among pharmacies in Ontario and sharing of information not just throughout the province but across the country.
Medication errors are a significant global health and economic problem. Globally, the cost associated with medication errors has been estimated at US$ 42 billion annually or almost 1% of total global health expenditure.
Pharmapod’s CEO Leonora O’Brien states that
Between 5% and 8% of all hospital admissions stem from medication errors, this adds to the number of people on trolleys and prolongs hospital stays. The absence of robust profession-specific reporting and management systems means there is a lack of understanding of the exact nature and contributory factors leading to these errors and, therefore an inability to effectively improve the situations for patients or the healthcare system. We have to act as these errors are avoidable and Pharmapod provides a robust solution.
In March, the World Health Organisation launched a global initiative to reduce severe, avoidable medication-associated harm in all countries by 50% over the next 5 years. In the US alone it is a cause of harm for over 1.3 million people every year. Many countries lack good data, which will be gathered as part of the global initiative. Pharmapod, already a leading solution in helping reduce medication errors across the pharmacy sector, is now poised to execute on its vision of being the global solution for the healthcare sector.
About Pharmapod Ltd.
The Pharmapod platform is a pioneering cloud-based solution designed to drive standards of patient safety across the pharmacy profession world-wide. Pharmapod empowers healthcare professionals to identify risks in their practice, share their learnings and prevent recurrence of patient harm. Pharmapod’s professionally led team offers in-depth domain knowledge and expertise of the industry. The platform has succeeded in creating a hugely positive network of pharmacy teams united in shared goals – real peer-to-peer sharing of experience and delivering excellence in patient care. For more information, visit www.pharmapodhq.com.
About the Ontario College of Pharmacists
The Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP), incorporated in 1871, is the registering and regulating body for the profession of pharmacy in Ontario. The College’s mandate is to serve and protect the public and hold Ontario’s pharmacists and pharmacy technicians accountable to the established legislation, standards of practice, code of ethics and policies and guidelines relevant to pharmacy practice. The College also oversees the province’s community and hospital pharmacies and assesses them against prescribed standards of operation.
For more information, visit www.ocpinfo.com.
About the Canadian Pharmacists Association
The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) is the uniting national voice of pharmacy and the pharmacist profession in Canada. As pharmacists undertake an enhanced role in the delivery of health care services, CPhA ensures that the profession is recognized as a national leader in health care, influencing the policies, programs, budgets and initiatives affecting the profession and the health of Canadians. For more information, visit www.pharmacists.ca.
Contact:
Michelle Bobbett, Customer Success Manager,
Pharmapod ltd
01 685 2242