It’s now pharmacy technicians on remote—the latest change in pharmacy
practice that electronic technology has brought. The latest innovation,
just approved by the Kansas State Board of Pharmacy this year, aims to
improve patient care and minimize medicine-dispensing mishaps,
especially at rural hospitals.
What the board has come up with is a
system that allows a Kansas-licensed pharmacist to remotely supervise a
pharmacy technician (one who has finished a pharmacy technician course
or is attending pharmacy technician classes) in a licensed pharmacy in a
hospital in the state.
Debra Billingsley, executive
secretary of the Kansas State Board of Pharmacy, said: "That's been a
real concern, mainly in the rural areas. And so we've just been trying
to see if we can come up with some kind of care model that would be safe
for the patient and provide pharmaceutical care."
The
regulations require the pharmacist to use a secure, real-time video
connection to the location of the technician's work. A webcam can be
used for the video link, but it has to be of sufficient resolution to
let the supervising pharmacist to clearly inspect medications and view
paperwork. The remotely supervised pharmacist technician performs all
his duties under the watchful eye of offsite pharmacist through the
video link.
Pharmacies at medical facilities are
developing ways to deal with drug shortages, with the end goal of
enhancing patient care and safety through the support of pharmacy
technicians, reported the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhTs) in a news article last year.
Being
an important link in the supply chain team, CPhTs (pharmacy
technicians who have finished a pharmacy technician course or pharmacy
technician classes and have passed their state’s certification exam) act
as procurers of medications and inventory keepers. They are included in
current efforts by hospital and health-system pharmacies to develop
strategies to prevent impacting patient care because of drug shortages
brought about by such issues as manufacturing problems and product
discontinuation.
“Pharmacy technicians are
instrumental in managing inventory and communicating department needs to
supervisors,” said Erin Fox, PharmD, a manager at the University of
Utah Hospitals and Clinics. “By working cooperatively within the
pharmacy team, they allow the department to better optimize daily
workflow output and reprioritize medication distribution activities as
patients’ needs change.”
Already, better management of
inventory and drug dispensing has been achieved by pharmacy technicians
who have taken advantage of modern technology such as robots or
automated dispensing cabinets, even as they provide vital practical
information on how to optimize these new tools.
“With
the support of CPhTs in purchasing and automation roles, pharmacists may
increase their involvement in patient-care activities,” said Melissa
Murer Corrigan, the executive director and CEO of PTCB.
Proper training for pharmacy technicians is provided by a number of
traditional and online schools, one of which is Meditec.com, a top
portal for online pharmacy technician classes and online pharmacy technician training. It also provides medical transcription training and medical billing and coding training.
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