The hope of healthcare – navigating risk in pharmacy leadership

When my brother-in-law was taking chemistry in high school, he was given an assignment: to share a brief article with friends and family about a particular compound and then ask for an opinion as to whether this compound should be banned. The article gave all sorts of information about the compound and included that it was dangerous and could possibly kill people. This compound had a name: dihydrogen oxide (or something like this). It was a fancy way of saying “water.” 

Knowing the article was talking about water, I voted that it should not be banned. In disbelief, my brother-in-law asked if I read about how this compound could kill people.  I think the point of his assignment was to fool friends and family with chemistry.

All that said, it is true: water can be deadly in certain situations. I share this story because there is an important lesson we must not miss when it comes to risk management. 

Very few things are risk free. 

In the pharmacy, this is so true. Every drug has a side effect and interaction panel associated with it.

We have all encountered patients who only want “natural” products. We know they mean “safe” products when they say this, as there are many natural things, like snake venom, which can be quite dangerous.

We will always have to deal with risk.

In the world of pharmacy leadership, the ability to navigate risks effectively is a crucial skill. Just like a ship captain charts a course through treacherous waters, pharmacy leaders must steer their teams and organizations through potential pitfalls. But how can pharmacists learn to balance advancing practice and risk?

Make no mistake, for pharmacists and pharmacy to be the hope of healthcare, we most definitely have to deal with risk.

But how?

The first thing we need to do is to raise our awareness of risk. We need to be able to see more and we need to have other perspectives. We do this in the pharmacy every day. We have multiple people touching each prescription. Why? Because every set of eyes we get on the prescription reduces risk.

One of the best pieces of advice my boss gave me when dealing with an issue was “take a partner.” What she meant was to get a partner who can see and know things that I might otherwise miss.

Walking through the woods is nice, especially as we move towards autumn, but what if you miss the bear or the skunk nearby?  But if you have a partner, you have an extra set of eyes and ears to be able to see and hear things you might otherwise miss.

One of the best things we can do to navigate risk is get our teams involved. This doesn’t happen automatically. We must be intentional to engage our teams so risks can be identified, and solutions can be implemented. The nice side effect of this is when we have these open lines of communication for risk, we will often find open lines of communication for opportunities.   

Take a partner. Involve your whole team in risk awareness and risk reduction activities.  These might not completely eliminate risk, but they can position you to wisely navigate the challenges you face.

Who are your partners in managing risk? If you do not have any, perhaps you should consider adding some new perspectives. 

Until next time

Jesse McCullough, PharmD

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