We need a new plan: A public health approach to increasing prescription dispensing safety

Patient safety is paramount to the pharmacy profession. Outpatient pharmacies have been facing enormous pressures in recent years; pharmacists and staff have been raising concerns about patient safety through multiple professional and public channels. While national organizations and some boards of pharmacy have done some work to promote pharmacist well-being and patient safety, it is not enough; we need a new plan. This commentary shares the important work done by the American Public Health Association (APHA) Pharmacy Section - through a task force and subsequent American Public Health Association (APHA) adopted policy in response to the outpatient pharmacy environment. The policy and call to action urges stakeholders to view dispensing safety in outpatient pharmacies as a public health issue. By doing this, it shifts the conversation beyond individual practitioners and pharmacies to include the broader systems, policies, and stakeholders that influence dispensing safety. The policy's three-pronged approach-improved data collection and transparency, a stronger culture of safety, and enhanced external accountability-provides a framework for addressing the underlying causes of dispensing errors rather than simply responding to their consequences.