Newswise — Pharmacy departments in hospitals and health systems across the U.S. are facing workforce and budget challenges as health care institutions navigate the current economic environment, according to results of the ASHP Survey of the Impact of the Current Economy on Pharmacy Services in Hospitals and Health Systems.
The survey of 541 U.S. hospitals, conducted by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Section of Pharmacy Practice Managers, asked participants about the economy's impact on payroll and employment, cost and capital investment management, pharmacy services, and education and professional development. The survey, which is available online at www.ashp.org/economy-survey, found:
"¢ 37 percent of respondents have had their staffing budgets reduced in the last six months."¢ 10 percent of respondents have laid off personnel and 22 percent have frozen vacant positions."¢ 66 percent of respondents have been required to reduce their drug budgets."¢ Among respondents that have student rotations, 16 percent reported that they will reduce the number of rotations."¢ Among respondents that have accredited first-year residency programs, 7 percent will be reducing residency positions.
"Pharmacy departments are being asked to do more with less while they still have to meet critical patient care needs to ensure safe and effective medication use," said ASHP President Kevin J. Colgan, M.A., FASHP. "Networking with peers and sharing experiences can help pharmacists meet these challenges, and ASHP intends to serve as that resource for our members."
The economic impact has also provided some new opportunities for pharmacists, according to the survey. Twenty-three percent of respondents report that they have experienced expanded leadership opportunities resulting from leadership voids in other departments. Sixty percent of respondents have been given oversight for organizational projects to identify and obtain cost reductions.
ASHP conducted the survey as part of its efforts to help pharmacists in hospitals and health systems better understand the impact of the current economy and find ways to weather the storm, said Colgan. In addition, ASHP has added several hours of new educational content to its upcoming Summer Meeting in Rosement, Ill., June 14-17, devoted specifically to helping pharmacists successfully navigate in this economy that is so negatively affecting hospitals and health systems. ASHP is also adding topics to the ASHP Connect discussion boards, allowing pharmacists to share their experiences and learn from each other. Surviving, and thriving, in this economy will also be the focus of ASHP's Leadership Conference, in Chicago this October.
About ASHPFor more than 60 years, ASHP has helped pharmacists who practice in hospitals and health systems improve medication use and enhance patient safety. The Society's 35,000 members include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who practice in inpatient, outpatient, home-care, and long-term-care settings, as well as pharmacy students. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP's Web site, www.ashp.org, or its consumer Web site, www.SafeMedication.
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