What is the role of the pharmacy department in QI?
Quality Department staff perform a variety of quality functions and there is a role for the pharmacy department in the performance of these functions: compliance with accreditation and regulatory requirements, ensuring that patients receive medically-appropriate and evidence-based care, minimizing risk and maximizing patient safety, and preparing internal and external reports of various measures that reflect the appropriate and timely use of medications (among other things). QI initiatives pertaining to medication use cross service lines and care settings and require a multidisciplinary approach to be successful. The expertise of the pharmacist provides for a large impact on quality when addressing the appropriate use of medications in the management of specific conditions (e.g., acute myocardial infarction, heart failure) and the prevention of surgical infection.
