The nationwide pharmacy technician shortage is impacting hospitals, retail, and community pharmacies, with many facing double-digit vacancy rates. This issue may not be new, but it has been exacerbated by COVID and recently validated by a joint survey conducted by ASHP and PTCB.In many pharmacies, the staff that are left are doing more work to pick up the load – or in some cases pharmacists, students and residents are filling in the gaps of traditional technician work. The effort to maintain USP compliance will only increase once the USP updates are finalized by doubling the competency frequency and increasing the surface sampling requirements to monthly. With the heavy workload and alternate staff covering additional responsibilities, they may not be as proficient in workflows that support compliance creating wider gaps and exposing pharmacies to risks in compliance.
Compliance provides the foundation of all pharmacy activities. Essentia Health has leveraged Simplifi 797 to monitor compliance as well as help their teams focus during these challenging times.
