According to the Medication Incident and Near-Miss Event Practice Direction, “licensed pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants and employees of the pharmacy must be trained and are required to comply with systems, policies, and procedures related to medication incidents and near-miss events.” All community pharmacies should have a documented training plan included in their policies and procedures manual outlining how all pharmacy staff will receive initial and ongoing training on Safety IQ. The Safety IQ Training Checklist can help you develop and document your training plan. 

Use the Safety IQ Cycle Infographic (only available on desktop or tablet) at the bottom of this page to learn more about Safety IQ and how all of the parts of the program work together to make a safe system even safer. 

What is a CQI Coordinator and Should My Pharmacy Have One?

Depending on the workload and size of pharmacy staff, it may be helpful to appoint a CQI Coordinator. The CQI Coordinator can be a staff pharmacist, pharmacy technician, or pharmacy assistant as long as they are competent and confident in their understanding of Safety IQ. The CQI coordinator’s responsibilities could include

• ensuring staff are trained on the use of the incident reporting program;
• ensuring incidents and near-misses are consistently reported and discussed;
• fostering open communication about incidents and safety concerns;
• leading CQI meetings or informal huddles;
• conducting the SSA with other pharmacy staff; and/or
• educating staff about safe medication practices and other safety issues.

While a CQI coordinator may oversee the above, it remains the pharmacy manager’s responsibility to ensure the pharmacy complies with the Safety IQ program and the practice direction requirements. Patients and pharmacies benefit most when all pharmacy staff is engaged and play a role in improving medication safety.

What Should Our Training Plan Include?

All pharmacy staff must complete the training provided by the pharmacy’s medication incident reporting platform. According to the Incident Reporting Platform Criteria, incident reporting platforms must provide an online module accessible to all pharmacy staff on how to use the platform.

At a minimum, each staff person should review the following:

• Medication Incident and Near-Miss Event Practice Direction
• Introduction to Safety IQ training video
• Quick Guide to Reporting
• Quick Guide to Documenting
• Quick Guide to Responding to an Incident

Pharmacy staff including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy assistants must review and understand the pharmacies policies and procedures for Safety IQ including

• Discovery and disclosure of medication incidents
• Reporting medication incidents and near-miss events
• Investigation and analysis of medication incidents and near-miss events
• Safety self-assessment
• Continuous quality improvement meetings

Every staff member should review safetyiq.academy and the interactive infographic below (only available for desktop or tablet). The Safety IQ Training Checklist is another useful tool to develop or assess the Safety IQ training program in your pharmacy.