It was going to take hard work and dedication in order for Mount Sinai Hospital Pharmacy to pass their upcoming provincial annual accreditation.
With new, rigorous standards, it required a team effort to meet and exceed the requirements coming into effect as of January 1, 2019. The new National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) Standards for Sterile Compounding meant that not only did updated practices need to be put into place, but Mount Sinai Hospital needed to renovate the existing Oncology pharmacy on the 12th floor that would meet the highest standard of sterile compounding. Yasmin Rajmohamed, Senior Manager of Pharmacy Operations, recognized the job well done by our Facilities & Capital Project staff alongside a number of outside contractors. It was a last minute team effort to get the facility certified, approved and operational in time for the inspection on July 11, 2018 and to ensure we continued to provide the best patient care possible.
The hard work definitely paid off.
Thanks to everyone’s diligence, Mount Sinai’s hospital pharmacy passed the assessment. The OCP Advisor performing the accreditation commended the Pharmacy team, stating that they are well on their way to meeting all of the new criteria, ahead of the January deadline. The department was also applauded for taking steps to acquire QUESS 360, a cutting-edge learning management certification system to make sure pharmacy staff are well-versed in the latest sterile compounding practices.
The Ontario College of Pharmacists has been accrediting hospital pharmacies since 2015. Every year, the College focuses on improving current practices and implementing new standards that will continue to ensure patient safety.
For 2019, hospital pharmacies across Ontario are expected to adhere to the NAPRA model standards for Pharmacy compounding of hazardous and non-hazardous sterile preparations.
Kudos to everyone involved in the pharmacy assessment process on this impressive achievement.