CEO’s Column

DOES HEALTHCARE HAVE A BROKEN HEART?

Kate Gainer, PharmD

IPA Executive Vice President & CEO I’m a believer in silver linings and an optimist through and through. I enjoy hearing stories of silver linings from the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the more common ones: extra family time with teenagers; slowing down; pausing organized kid activities and replacing with game nights and movie nights; new pets; and discovering parks and exploring nature in their own community or state. For me personally: learning to work remotely; embracing online school; spending extra time with family in Wisconsin; and road-tripping to five national parks. But for every silver lining, there are true hardships and real trauma that many have faced across the country and state of Iowa.

Trauma.

The CDC defines trauma as a physical, cognitive, and emotional response caused by a traumatic event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced as harmful or life-threatening. Usually associated with violence, accidents, ACEs (adverse childhood events) or war, trauma is not a word that I used often or heard much of until the past year. With year two of the COVID-19 pandemic, the word trauma started to enter my inbox, my zoom calls, face to face meetings, and personal conversations on a daily basis.

Over two years have passed since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Though not the only current public health and healthcare crisis, it has been the most significant in affecting the way we live, work and provide care. Throughout the pandemic, healthcare workers have experienced trauma that appears on brain scans to match the trauma soldiers face during combat. From experiencing death at rates higher than any other condition, to worrying about keeping their staff and teams healthy, to continually adapting to “new normals” and updated guidelines, each individual’s response to these events varies – and the level of trauma experienced varies as well.

As pharmacists, acknowledging that patients have experienced trauma and will have an individual response is critical to providing trauma-informed care. As pharmacists, acknowledging that the healthcare workforce and our pharmacy teams have experienced trauma and will also respond uniquely is called trauma-informed leadership.

The IPA Board of Trustees has discussed how the Association can provide support, resources and education for pharmacists and technicians to best care for patients, and one another, through a trauma-informed lens. At a recent Board meeting, a presentation was shared by Helen Sairany, CEO of the Florida Pharmacists Association, an author, and trauma-informed pharmacist. Helen shared:

As pharmacists and healthcare leaders, we can incorporate trauma-informed care and leadership into our practices through normalizing conversations, centering patient interactions around safety and mental health, and adopting policies and procedures to support trauma-informed care. These are not always easy conversations. Whether we call it professional burnout, trauma or healthcare’s broken heart, at IPA, we are here to support our members personally and professionally, just as our members support one another personally and professionally to heal, learn and grow. ■

“As a trauma-informed pharmacist who has personally served at the frontline in combat zones, I believe the comparison between healthcare workers in the pandemic and soldiers in combat is accurate. The human brain is not designed for uncertainty. It is designed for survival. In times of extreme distress and uncertainty, the neocortex, where higher level thinking takes place, is overtaken by the part of the brain that governs emotion and survival, the amygdala, also known as the body’s alarm system. We become more self-centered and less collaborative, giving and empathetic. It’s a self-defense mechanism that can negatively impact our work and our relationships.”

Helen Sairany presenting to the IPA Board of Trustees in June

RE-ENGAGING PHARMACIES: HIV/HCV TESTING PROJECT

Since 2019, IPA has been managing a multi-year project implementing HIV screenings in community pharmacies in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Public Health’s Bureau of HIV, STD and Hepatitis. There are currently twelve pharmacies offering free HIV screenings for their communities, and three of those are also offering free Hepatitis C (HCV) screenings.

In efforts to re-engage pharmacies in this point-of-care testing project, IPA has been hosting virtual project meetings to provide a platform for pharmacies to share best practices and learn from each other. IPA also provides resources for participating pharmacies on our website. Reducing stigma and counseling patients on their test results are just a couple topics pharmacies are educated on.

IDPH and IPA did additional marketing and promotion during the months of May, National Hepatitis Awareness Month, and June, National HIV Testing Day on the 27th. Patients were incentivized with a free gift card for completing an HIV or HCV test.

Increasing access to testing has been a priority for IDPH in fighting the HIV epidemic. IPA is looking to gain more interest in the following counties: Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Calhoun, Webster, Humboldt, Kossuth, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, Wapello. These are areas of the state IDPH considers focus areas based on their epidemiology reporting.

To participate in the project or to learn more, please contact Kellie Staiert, IPA’s Lead Project & Partner Manager, at kstaiert@iarx.org.

To learn more about Stop HIV Iowa, visit www.stophiviowa.org. COUNTIES NEEDED:

Palo Alto Pocahontas Calhoun Webster Humboldt Kossuth Clarke Decatur Lucas Monroe Wapello

SCREENING TOOL TO DETERMINE OVERALL WELL-BEING

Research has been surfacing for many years now that the overall well-being of a pharmacist is directly correlated to pharmacy productivity, creativity and perseverance. A recent webinar held by APhA discussed a well-being index for pharmacy personnel. The average consensus from pharmacy personnel showed that pharmacists are at high-risk of distress.

Why does this matter? Pharmacy personnel who identify as high-risk of distress are 3 times more likely to have a low quality of life, have an 8-fold increased risk of burnout, and are 2.5 times more likely to be fatigued or have intent to leave their current job. Possibly most concerning, pharmacy personnel at high-risk of distress are twice as likely to make a medication error.

Since June, there has been a .18% increase in distress by pharmacy personnel. Although this may not seem high, if we consider all medications dispensed in our own pharmacies per month and then multiply that by the 850 pharmacies in Iowa…that is a lot of prescriptions. If pharmacists at high-risk of distress are twice as likely to make medication errors, this scenario has the potential to cause great patient harm.

About three years ago, APhA launched an online screening tool, which was created by Mayo Clinic, to allow pharmacy professionals to determine their levels of fatigue, depression, burnout, anxiety, stress, and overall well-being. This tool has shown positive results in helping pharmacy personnel recognize when they are experiencing levels of high-stress and allow themselves the space to rejuvenate.

The pillars of our profession are founded on the protection and care that we provide to our patients. To uphold our oath, we need to care for ourselves and decrease our levels of distress before we’re able to care for others.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

The UI College of Pharmacy proudly hosted an in-person commencement ceremony–the first in-person ceremony since 2019–in front of hundreds of families, friends, faculty, alumni, and practitioners at Hancher Auditorium on Thursday, May 12.

The celebratory week started with a special recognition event for the graduating students. On Wednesday, May 11, graduates and their families were treated to a reception and program in the new College of Pharmacy building. Susan Vos, Associate Dean, announced individuals receiving dual degrees, certificates and recognition cords, and Dean Donald Letendre introduced the invited commencement speaker, Nancy Alvarez, from the University of Arizona. IPA Executive Vice President and CEO, Kate Gainer, welcomed the graduates to the profession.

Doctor of Pharmacy commencement exercises began with a welcome from Dean Letendre, followed by graduating senior Trey Van Hemert, Class of 2022 President, and guest speaker, Nancy Alvarez, PharmD, Associate Dean and Associate Professor at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. UI President Barbara J. Wilson and Abigail (Abby) Crow of the Board of Regents presided over the ceremony.

Alvarez noted Iowa Pharmacy as the ‘Center of the Pharmacy Universe’ and suggested five ways to deepen professional engagement, including advocacy, realizing themselves as a pharmacist first, demonstrating care, participating in professional activities, and picking out a fabulous, comfortable pair of shoes.

“The titans of your state have worn big shoes as they shaped the Iowa Pharmacy Universe. You don’t need to fill their shoes – instead, you can think about selecting your own shoes in a style that suits you and set them down next to those Iowa pharmacy leaders,” said Alvarez.

This year’s 88 graduates had many accolades and achievements including Julia Christ, Alexis Clouse, Kalyca Nardy, and Ashley Perlwitz, Academic Excellence Awards; Lauren Reist, United States Public Health Service Award; and Chi Nesah, Center for Inclusive Academic Excellence Dean’s Achievement Award.

PHARMD CLASS OF 2022

Salma Abdelrahman Fatima Atfif David Bainbridge Caelee Batterson Allen Baugh Urvi Bhakta Joshua Brase James Bullard Julia Christ Sarah Cinquepalmi Alexis Clouse Steven Cui Alexandra Curran Kyla Dickey Michelle Dobrzynski Austin Dollmeyer Ashley Duda Sara El-Hattab Jacob FitzPatrick Ben Fox Hao Fu Marisol Garcia Alexander Goss Annie Halfman Alexander Hall Hasna Harrabi Caroline Hartman Micah Hiner Sonny Hoang Alaina Hofmann

Analisa Iole Guissella Munoz Emma Johnson Jacob Johnson Fatima Kamara Beatrice Kariuki Tessa Kauffman Kathryn Kenney Grace Kim Morgan Kimball Megan Lake Kassidy Lawler Tiffany Le Peizhi Li Damien Lihs Dylan Lloyd Jessica McCants Colton McConnell Delaney McKone Raegan Menke Riley Mohr Spencer Munroe Ann Mwangi Ali Naraghi Kalyca Nardy Sara Nashed Chi Nesah Sara Nezirevic Chelsea Nguyen

Vy Nguyen Sydney Novak Reid Peloquin Ashley Perlwitz Ellen Peters Kyla Peters Emma Piehl Shannon Powers Kaitlyn Quinn Sara Ramirez Shelby Reid Lauren Reist Jenna Ringsdorf Mason Roberts Marissa Rupalo Amir Saba Samuel Schauer Brendan Schryver Erika Schupp Nicholas Shepard Marissa Stewart Dalton Swift Trey Van Hemert Jake Van Oort Hoa Vuong Walt Wang Tyler Wempen Kayla Wilson Liangping Yu

DRAKE UNIVERSITY CPHS

PHARMD CLASS OF 2022

Anis Abdullahi Nicholas Andert Daniel Armstrong Edina Begic Beau Blake Isabella Blankenship Angelica Castro Samuel Cataldo MacKenzie Challoner Derek Cloyd Barret Collard Rachel Comito Noah Cresco Darshika Desai Sukhnoor Dhillon Nicholas Driscoll Andrew Dunham Tarah Fisher Hope Fraise Michaela Friedeck Kole Gallick Caroline Gander Holly Gardner Abby Disterhoft Joshua Hart Elizabeth Harvey Latham Hendrickson Thao Hoang Jacob Horstman Caroline Jones Collin Jones Christopher Karch Zoe Kedrowski Ellisa Kim Sydney Kleven Courtney Krall Stephanie Krois Humam Lafta Natalie Lee Britain Lehrer Richard Levites Tabitha Liechty Jacob Lucht Stephanie Martin Landon McKee Haley Miller Breanna Moore Hebah Musharafa Bailey Nagel Kim Nguyen Ryan Nulty Megan Ochs Joel Parado Prachi Patel Elizabeth Petersen Jordan Pierce

Carissa Popp Tyler Prokuski Ann Radtke Reagan Rathe Jonathan Resch Siri Roberts Andrea Saar Edie Schwickerath McKenna Simpson Emma Smith Isabel Stanger Shawna Stricker Gabriella Tagliapietra Courtney Temple Isabelle Tharp Marc Thieme Jacquelyn Thomsen Tatum Torode Mariah Trapp Brittani Weichman Kaitlyn Wellens Tyler Wypych Verent Yee Beara Zachariah Lauren Zimmerman The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS) held the annual Hooding and Commencement Ceremony for professional program students on Saturday, May 14. The 36 Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences undergraduate students participated in the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony held on Sunday, May 15.

Receiving their degrees and doctoral hoods during the CPHS Hooding and Commencement Ceremony were: • 41 Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) students • 81 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students • 5 Master of Athletic Training (MAT) graduates • 7 graduates from the inaugural Master of Health Informatics and Analytics (MS HIA) class.

In addition to the doctoral and master’s degrees, many of the graduating students also received additional degrees or designations.

The Hooding and Commencement Ceremony included reflections from three of the graduating class student government representatives. Bridget Davidson (MAT), Rylee Steinke (OTD), and MacKenzie Challoner (PharmD) reflected on their experiences from the time they stepped foot on Drake’s campus to graduation and provided words of encouragement for the graduates as they start their careers.

IPA’s Director of Professional Affairs, Emmeline Paintsil, PH’18, led the PharmD graduates in the Oath of a Pharmacist. CoraLynn Trewet, PH’03, Senior Medical Science Liaison with Bristol Meyer Squibb and chair of the College’s National Advisory Council, welcomed the graduates into the Drake CPHS alumni network.

“We congratulate all of our 2021-2022 graduates and are confident that they will have many accomplishments during their careers,” said Renae Chesnut, Dean and Professor. “They are proof that we are fulfilling our mission to prepare today’s learners to be tomorrow’s health care leaders.”

You Need a CQI Program

Mistakes happen. Risky processes become normalized and your operations can shift slightly with staffing changes, new products, and new procedures.

The APMS Patient Safety Organization (PSO) provides Pharmacy Quality Commitment+ (PQC+) Compounding, a confidential, highly secure, continuous quality improvement program. Track and analyze how, when, and where the risk in your workflow occurs so you can reduce Rx corrections and operational costs.

Our program includes:

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A web-based reporting portal to collect patient safety events Tools to chart, graph, and analyze data Expert advice, tips, and safe practices Resources to help you meet accreditation and quality improvement requirements Support to build a just culture of safety QA Continuing Education and training opportunities

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Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) provide a safe space for members to conduct patient safety work. When you partner with our PSO for your Quality Improvement activities, the collection of quality assurance data and patient safety work is in Customer Service a protected environment. We are passionate about medication safety in community pharmacy and are here to walk you through the entire process. Our customer service team has years of experience in pharmacy and is excited to help.

Let' s chat! (866)365-7472 info@medicationsafety.org