Patient Safety Organizations Protect Patients, Pharmacy Industry Practices

While a significant amount of research, collaboration, and awareness is necessary for them to function, many patients, and those unfamiliar with the pharmacy space, may be unaware of the necessary protections patient safety organizations (PSOs) provide to the medical community.

“PSOs are very valuable in improving patient safety, and ultimately, leveraging that patient safety helps improve our process, our technology, and education, and reduces the chance that an [adverse] event is going to occur in the future,” Catie Stimmel, PharmD, vice president and chief controlled substance and patient safety officer at Walgreens, told Drug Topics. “That protects the pharmacist's mental health and it protects their license. It protects their practice.”

In her role at Walgreens, Stimmel oversees many of the patient safety functions related to her organization’s pharmacies. She joined Drug Topics to discuss the growing importance of PSOs within the evolving technological landscape of pharmacy, health care, and society as a whole.

In part 3 of our interview, we asked Stimmel about PSOs and their value specifically for pharmacists and their businesses. Learn more about the nonprofit organizations working to keep patients safe from harmful medications and potential errors throughout the delivery of health care.

Stay tuned for our full-length conversation with Stimmel, who will be joining Drug Topics on the next episode of Over the Counter releasing early this week on Wednesday afternoon.

READ MORE: Q&A: Trust, Legal Protection Place Value in Patient Safety Organizations

Don’t get left behind: Sign up today for our free Drug Topics newsletter and get the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips delivered straight to your inbox.