Quality & Safety in Pharmacy Practice

Gain a complete understanding of the principles of quality improvement and their application to present and future pharmacy practice

"This is a nice introduction to the concepts of continuous quality improvement.It is a comfortable read and is written at an elementary level in comparison to other textbooks in the pharmacy curriculum. This may be necessary, since the authors rightly conclude there is a lack of discussion of quality improvement in the pharmacy curriculum. 3 Stars."--Doody's Review Service

"This book is a great resource for pharmacists and pharmacy students who want to learn about safety and quality in pharmacy practice."--Laura Cranston, RPh, Executive Director, The Pharmacy Quality Alliance

Quality and Safety in Pharmacy Practice details the principles, approaches, strategies, and actions necessary to improve the overall safety and effectiveness of pharmacy services. Although one of the book’s primary goals is to enhance the quality of future health care, you will find guidelines that can be implemented immediately to improve today’s pharmacy practice. This comprehensive text offers a complete overview of quality in general, the reasons for improving practice, and actual day-to-day changes and approaches that will positively impact the patient.

Quality and Safety in Pharmacy Practice is divided into five parts, covering:

• The current and future landscape of health care quality and the business case for quality improvement and value-driven health care
• Quality improvement concepts and tools, including statistical process control
• Quality and safety measurement, including mechanisms for gathering consumer feedback
• Incentives and other drivers of quality improvement
• Application of the principles of quality improvement to pharmacy practice -- complete with case examples

Contributors
Foreword by J. Lyle Bootman
Preface

Part I. Status of Quality Improvement and Reporting in the U.S. Health Care System
1. Quality and the Future of Health Care,
David P. Nau
2. Understanding Problems in the Use of Medications,
David P. Nau and Duane M. Kirking
3. The Business Case for Pharmacy Quality
David A. Holdford
4. An Overview of Health Care Organizations Involved in Quality Improvement,
Donna West-Strum

Part II. Quality Improvement Concepts
5. Health Care Quality Improvement,
Terri L. Warholak and Ginger G. Scott
6. Recognizing and Defining Quality Problems,
David A. Holdford
7. Identifying Causes of Quality Problems,
Terri L. Warholak and Ana Hincapie
8. Statistical Process Control,
Leticia R. Moczygemba and David A. Holdford

Part III. Quality Measurement
9. Measuring Medication Safety and Quality,
Susan J. Skledar and Robert J. Weber
10. Consumer Assessment of Pharmacy Quality,
Susan J. Blalock and San Keller
11. Risk Management,
Kenneth Baker

Part IV. Quality-based Interventions and Incentives
12. Implementing Change to Enhance Quality,
Ana C. Quiñones-Boex and Thomas J. Reutzel
13. Using Technology in the Quality Improvement Process, Elizabeth A. Flynn
14. Reporting on Health Care Quality,
Terri Moore and David P. Nau
15. Aligning Financial Incentives for Quality,
David P. Nau

Part V. Application of Quality Improvement to the Pharmacy Practice Setting
16. Responding to an Outside Assessment of Pharmacy Quality,
Julie Kuhle and Lynne Schifreen
17. Implementing Your Own Pharmacy Quality Improvement Program,
Terri L. Warholak and Mi Chi Song
Index