The PrEP Clinic wins for Interprofessional Initiative at the Pharmacy Practice + Business Awards

Why they wonWith cases of HIV increasing year over year across Canada—and preventative medication being underutilized—this group of healthcare professionals took initiative to break down barriers to HIV prevention and help thousands of patients in Ontario to access treatment.Originally launched in 2019 as the country’s first online-only PrEP service, the clinic has since expanded to include in-person practice sites in Toronto, Brampton and Ottawa. Patients have access to comprehensive HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment, along with ongoing monitoring and support provided in a wide variety of languages (between them, team members speak more than 12 languages). The team has also implemented a transitional care support program to give HIV treatment care opportunities to those lacking care providers or provincial health coverage. All patients have access to free HPV vaccinations, in addition to sexual health information resources, and all team members are aligned to fight stigma while providing a supportive environment for people of all backgrounds.This is all made possible due to an inter-professional work environment where team members effectively communicate. The pharmacy team members act as the central navigation point between patients and the team’s allied healthcare professionals which include registered nurses, nurse practitioners, registered practical nurses, social workers and patient support specialists. Pharmacists have augmented roles as clinical HIV pharmacists involved in case management, and pharmacy technicians as patient care specialists. The pharmacy team is also focussed on sexual health education, drug-related problem-solving, affordability support navigation, and medication adherence. Patients can text, phone or Whatsapp the pharmacy team six days a week with extended hours for their queries. Best of all, these collaborative efforts are already paying off in helping to reduce the number of new HIV infections and sexually transmitted diseases across Ontario. Watch this video to learn more about Andrew and the PrEP team: Q&A: What makes for an effective team environment? Everyone needs to be there for the same reason and believe in your mission. All should have a voice and it should be a level playing field. Too often there is a hierarchy of prescriber, then pharmacist, then support staff. We don't operate this way and everyone on the team has equal value and opinions. It supports a friendlier workspace and minimizes the risk for egos and conflict.For our team to remain cohesive, we balance work and social events. When there are community events or dinners, everyone is provided a ticket so we can all show up together. We have provided team sweatshirts, along with monthly team lunches and the opportunity to take part in fun content creation. For example, our annual Halloween costume photo series is displayed in our clinic all year-round. Once a year pizza parties can't bypass team members not receiving a living wage. Recognize people for their day-to-day and longer-term accomplishments, both verbally and financially. Stand up for team members too as it is one of the greatest feelings to know others have your bak and support you. What’s your advice for improving inter-professional practice relationships? Include everyone in the conversation and shared communication channels. One healthcare profession should not dominate the conversation, nor should there be any left out. Everyone needs to know everyone else's strengths and have clearly defined roles to support appropriate referral and maximize care planning for patients. Positions of leadership and project management are allocated to those with the best experience in their specific space. If there is fairness and true collaboration, you get maximum buy-in and the relationship drives synergistic outcomes. A lot of our success also comes from having actual healthcare providers making key decisions vs bureaucrats who often can be out of touch and disconnected. How do you combat stress and prevent burnout? Team members need to know that your pharmacy puts team members first and is conscious of stress and burnout. This is shown by providing appropriate staffing levels, a reasonable schedule in the day, sufficient breaks, and rewards. In our space we are a heavily appointment-based service with ample time provided for appointments.Work-life balance is officially assessed during annual reviews and more frequently through pathways provided to team members to share. It is also important to be aware of surroundings and sometimes you can just sense times when the team is a bit more stressed and take action. We swiftly hire on more team members when needed and have prioritized staff burnout and patient care this way. Understaffing while increasing demands is detrimental to morale, stress and service levels.What is most rewarding about working with your patient population? It's really about helping people and ensuring we are doing everything possible within our space to provide support. Our services reach a lot of people who are either missed by the healthcare system or face systemic barriers to access and marginalization. We get to be involved in the complete care of our patients, building great relationships and supporting the community. The community engagement and connections made outside the clinic-pharmacy space is really amazing. At the same time, we get to maximize our own scope in all of our roles and take on new responsibilities and challenges. You can read about all the 2023 winners here.If reading these stories makes you think of someone you know who’s deserving of an award (including perhaps, yourself?), you can sign up to be notified when the entry process opens for 2024 by filling out this form.

The PrEP Clinic wins for Interprofessional Initiative at the Pharmacy Practice + Business Awards

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