APhA and NASPA release the first PWWR report and learnings for 2024

WASHINGTON, June 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) released the ninth installment of the Pharmacy Workplace and Well-being Reporting (PWWR) trends and learnings report series.¹

Launched in October 2021, PWWR serves as a safe space to submit both positive and negative pharmacy workplace experiences in a confidential and anonymous manner. The goal of PWWR is to tell the stories of those who submit their experiences so that the profession may begin to act on the findings and learnings. This report covers the first quarter of 2024.

To date, more than 2,100 reports have been submitted to PWWR from pharmacy supervisors to pharmacy support personnel in nearly every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The learnings from all PWWR report analyses provide a roadmap for pharmacy personnel, employers, and the profession at large to address patient/consumer/co-worker harassment concerns, out of sync metrics and staffing, and barriers to staff–management communication.

"This cycle's findings are similar to the reported experiences with the previous eight cycles," said Brigid K. Groves, PharmD, MS, APhA Vice President, Professional Affairs. "Reports this cycle included a new theme of outdated software and broken hardware computer systems in the pharmacy that have led to near miss errors, which are those that were corrected prior to reaching the patient. This learning is a call for a systematic review of all pharmacy prescription processing software and hardware to address and resolve needed updates and replacements."

In this reporting cycle (2024 Q1), 122 reports were received. Positive experiences reported ranged from implementing a just culture approach to patient care in the pharmacy, resolving an insurance issue so a patient was able to afford their medication, and working with a prescriber to identify a medication that was covered by the patient's insurance prior to the patient arriving at the pharmacy. These positive experiences seem like minimal effort at first read; however, each takes time that is not always available. As in past cycles, those who submitted positive experiences indicated that their experiences would have a beneficial long-term effect on their well-being.

The negative reported experiences in this cycle included many of the same threatening and abusive stories described in detail in the previous analyses. As in previous reports, the experiences in the negative reports give highly personal accounts of the difficulties in working in community pharmacy practice. As seen in the table of Root Causes, reporters identified multiple reasons for a given negative experience. There were 507 total root causes listed for the 105 negative experiences reported, averaging nearly 4.8 root causes per event. Nearly all the negative experience reports (95%) were described as a "recurring problem". 

As have been the findings since the 2021 launch of PWWR, female reporters were the target of 78% of the discrimination and microaggression incidents; 66% of the sexual harassment incidents; and 80% of the verbal or emotional harassment/bullying incidents reported. A difference observed with this cycle was that several reports of discrimination, harassment, and aggression resulted in staff taking legal action.

"We are deeply committed to addressing the challenges within the pharmacy profession," said Krystalyn Weaver, PharmD, JD, NASPA executive vice president and CEO. "The insights from this report highlight the urgent need for systemic improvements, especially in areas like outdated technology and realignment of the pharmacy business model, and reinforce the importance of creating supportive, respectful environments for all pharmacy personnel. Together, we can drive meaningful change that enhances both workplace well-being and patient care."

PWWR is an ongoing online confidential and anonymous service for pharmacy personnel to report positive and negative experiences across all pharmacy practices. Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists are encouraged to submit positive and negative experience reports as often as they would like. In-depth analysis reports with trends and learnings will be periodically issued. A short snapshot of submissions will be issued each month. To submit an experience and read PWWR Reports, visit www.pharmacist.com/pwwr.

The Alliance for Patient Medication Safety, a federally listed patient safety organization (PSO), analyzes the reports submitted to PWWR. Reports are protected by the confidentiality and privilege provisions of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005. Actual submitted experience reports to PWWR cannot be disclosed or subpoenaed and are not subject to discovery in a legal proceeding.

¹PWWR Reports I through VIII and monthly snapshot reports can be found at www.pharmacist.com/pwwr.

SOURCE American Pharmacists Association