Effect of a central call center on employee perceptions of safety culture within community pharmacies in an academic health system.

PURPOSE

This study evaluated employee perceptions of safety culture in 9 health-system-owned community pharmacies using a safety culture survey before and after implementation of a Pharmacy Services Call Center (PSCC) designed to reduce distractions through reduction of phone volume related to refills and prescription readiness.

METHODS

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Community Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture (CPSPSC) was used to collect employee safety culture perceptions pre-post PSCC implementation. A percent positive score (PPS) was calculated for each of 11 CPSPSC composite questions and for 1 overall rating of patient safety question based on AHRQ-suggested analytic procedures. Pre-post PSCC implementation, PPSs were compared using a chi-square test.

RESULTS

Overall, the lowest composite PPS (Staffing, Work Pressure, and Pace) and the highest composite PPS (Patient Counseling) ranked the same in both survey periods. Of the nine PSCC pharmacies, statistically significant (p < 0.05) PPS improvements occurred in 4 composites including Teamwork (11.9%), Communication About Mistakes (18%), Staff Training and Skills (20.6%), and Staffing, Work Pressure, and Pace (11.8%). PSCC pharmacies also reported a 9.3% (NS) improvement in overall rating of pharmacy patient safety post PSCC implementation. Separate analysis of pharmacist responses was consistent with pharmacy level results, but technician results differed slightly in overall rating of safety perceptions.

CONCLUSION

Presence of the PSCC appeared to increase pharmacy employees' perceptions of safety culture in the community pharmacies, an integral part of overall patient safety.