In the video clip "The College's New Practice Assessments," CEO and Registrar Marshall Moleschi provides an overview of OCP’s new community pharmacy practice assessments. These routine pharmacy visits (formally called inspections) are a primary quality assurance activity of the College and as part of our commitment to continuous quality improvement, enhancements were introduced early in 2015. In addition to an assessment of pharmacy operations, these visits now also include an assessment of one or more pharmacists at the practice site.

The new practice assessments are designed to increase adherence to both pharmacy operations and individual practice standards. The goal is to provide support, through coaching and mentoring, to improve processes and procedures in order to deliver greater health outcomes for patients in Ontario.

Since it would be impossible to focus on all areas of practice during an assessment, the College has established specific assessment criteria for both the pharmacy operations (Community Pharmacy Operations Assessment Criteria) and the individual practitioner (Individual Practitioner (Pharmacist) Assessment Criteria) component of the assessment.

More information can be found under the Key Initiative "New Practice Assessments" on the College website.

In the latest issue of Pharmacy Connection, we outlined a recent complaint titled "The Importance of Sensitivity & Communication."

This case underscores your professional responsibility for maintaining patient confidentiality, displaying empathy, and ensuring that your personal views about a patient do not prejudice your attitude toward him or her, or affect the quality of service you provide.

Dealing with vulnerable patient populations — like the individual in this case who suffers from mental health and addiction issues — often requires extra understanding, sensitivity and empathy.

This Close-Up on Complaints article serves as a valuable reminder for all practitioners.