Balancing the Scales: Conflict Resolution in Pharmacy Practice Written By Michelle Hill, MPH, CPhT
In the precise world of pharmacy, scales play a vital role not just in measuring but in ensuring the safety and efficacy of medications dispensed. Just like these scales, pharmacy professionals must also balance vari- ous elements daily—ensuring accuracy in prescription preparation and resolving conflicts that naturally arise in such a high-stakes environment. This article explores how pharmacists and pharmacy technicians navigate the delicate balance between maintaining operational effi - ciency and resolving interpersonal and ethical dilemmas. Scales in the pharmacy serve several important pur- poses that are essential to ensuring accurate and safe medication dispensing. The primary functions of these scales include precision and accuracy. Scales are criti - cal for accurately measuring and mixing ingredients in compounded medications. This process requires exact amounts of each component to ensure the final prod - uct meets the prescribed specifications for each patient. Precision in prescription preparation ensures patient safety. Accuracy is also an imperative ingredient in the preparation of medications. Scales ensure that the amount dispensed aligns precisely with the prescriber’s order, which is especially critical for medications where a slight deviation in dosage could lead to adverse events. Balancing the scales in pharmacy practice represents the daily challenges pharmacy professionals encounter. In the bustling atmosphere of a pharmacy, practitioners
Ideas in Brief • Scales play a crucial role in ensuring accuracy when measuring and preparing medications, especially in compounded prescriptions where precise dosages are critical for patient safety. • Pharmacy professionals face the chal- lenge of balancing high operational efficiency with resolving ethical and inter - personal conflicts that naturally arise in a fast-paced work environment. • Using strategies like the ACE approach (Active Listening, Clarity, Empathy), phar - macy teams can prevent and resolve conflicts, fostering a collaborative atmo - sphere and enhancing patient care.
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