The pharmacist's role in risk management

The role of risk management is vitally important in the hospital. As institutions grow and the field of health care advances into the future, the number of patient-associated risks will continue to multiply. In response, the Joint Commission has changed its policies to reflect the importance of patient outcomes. This new Joint Commission focus, coupled with the increasing number of patient risks, will create the need for health care professionals to recognize their role in risk management. In anticipation of the future, pharmacy has been guiding itself toward that role for some time. With a large portion of the profession participating in activities such as DUE and QA programs, pharmacists can be a useful resource to the risk manager. Participation in retrospective analysis such as ADRs and peer review committees also aids the pharmacy profession in establishing guidelines that will decrease future patient risks. Future trends in drug development will increase the pharmacist's role in drug selection, in an effort to ensure both safety and cost containment. The profession's continuing development and implementation of practice standards will ensure that pharmacy remains dedicated to improving patient outcomes and decreasing patient risks. In addition, by learning to use the risk manager as both a source of information and a partner in identifying pharmacy-related areas of risk, the pharmacy profession will be able to continue its pursuit of improved quality of patient care.