Authors (including presenting author) :
CHAN HH(1), LAU CK(1), CHAN WYM(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Pharmacy, Tseung Kwan O Hospital
Introduction :
Dispensers are involved in many daily operations and might encounter difficulties during their work. However, lack of an effective feedback mechanism might be discouraging, and hence affect their job satisfaction and engagement in work. The 3 Cs initiative was introduced in TKOH pharmacy since April 2020 which includes 1. Communication enhancement 2. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) project 3. Clinical presentation. With the above, dispensers were invited to share their ideas, empowered to propose new initiatives and engaged in improving pharmacy service.
Objectives :
1.To enhance engagement of dispensers 2.To provide an effective communication channel between dispensers and senior staff 3.To improve pharmacy operation by dispenser-led CQI projects 4.To improve clinical knowledge by dispenser-led clinical presentations
Methodology :
Dispenser groups were formed by assigning four to five dispensers to each group. Each group had a dispensers’ representative who acted as a communication bridge between their group members and senior staff. Regular meetings were held between dispensers’ representatives and senior staff’s representatives (including senior pharmacist) to discuss on operation and seek feedback from dispensers. Each group was invited to initiate one CQI project and hold a lunch presentation on a clinical topic. Two senior staff were assigned to each group to give guidance. After the completion of CQI projects and clinical presentations, questionnaires were distributed to all involved dispensers to collect their comments.
Result & Outcome :
Comments on various areas, e.g. training, duties, daily workflow etc, were actively raised by dispensers in the regular meetings. These comments were followed up by corresponding senior staff and improvements had been made. Each group had identified an area for improvement on either daily operations or medication safety and developed one CQI project. These CQI projects have been successfully applied to daily operations. Each group had held a clinical presentation on different topics with majority of dispensers attended. Results of questionnaires revealed that 90% of dispensers agreed that formation of dispenser groups allowed them to effectively opine their ideas. Around 83% of dispensers agreed that dispenser-led CQI projects encouraged them to identify areas for improvement and implementation of these projects had improved pharmacy operation. Around 97% of dispensers agreed that dispenser-led clinical presentations improved their clinical knowledge. Overall, 83% of dispensers were satisfied with this initiative and majority of them agreed they were more engaged at work.
