When selected, the pharmacy team receives an advance notice of an upcoming review, as well as the areas that the College will focus on.
Written by the College of Pharmacists of BC
The Practice Review Program (PRP) is a review of a pharmacy professional's practice and the pharmacy where they work. The program aims to protect public safety by improving compliance with College Bylaws and Professional Practice Policies and ensuring consistent delivery of pharmacy services across B.C.
Pharmacies and pharmacy professionals are reviewed to ensure they meet College standards. The Program’s multi-year time frame allows for all pharmacies and pharmacy professionals currently practicing in B.C. to be reviewed on a cyclical basis.
The PRP is split into two components: the Pharmacy Review and the Pharmacy Professionals Review.
When selected, pharmacy managers, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will receive advance notice of an upcoming review, as well as the areas that the College will focus on during the review.
Practice reviews are based on College Bylaws and Professional Practice Policies. Reviews are conducted by a team of Compliance Officers who are all registered pharmacy professionals employed by the College. Compliance Officers record and document areas of compliance and non-compliance while observing pharmacy professionals throughout the review process. For areas of non-compliance, action-items are assigned, if necessary.
Are you or your pharmacy undergoing a review? The following tips will help you prepare for an upcoming Pharmacy Review and/or Pharmacy Professionals Review:
Preparing for a Pharmacy Review: Complete a pharmacy pre-review
Once a pharmacy is selected for a Pharmacy Review, the pharmacy manager will be required to complete and submit a pre-review to the College prior to their assigned deadline. The pre-review outlines the Pharmacy Review criteria that Compliance Officers use when conducting the review, so there are no surprises. The requirements included as part of the pre-review and Pharmacy Review can be found in the Hospital Pharmacy and Community Pharmacy Review Forms.
Preparing for a Pharmacy Professionals Review: Review the PRP support tools
Pharmacy professionals who are selected for their Pharmacy Professionals Review can prepare by reviewing the PRP Support Tools. These tools provide comprehensive outlines of the requirements that comprise each of the four PRP focus areas for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in both hospital and community practice. Although not mandatory, reviewing the support tools is encouraged as it will give the pharmacy professional a transparent overview of specific areas Compliance Officers will assess during their Pharmacy Professionals Review.
Review PRP Insights Articles
PRP Insights is an article series written by Compliance Officers. These articles often focus on common areas of non-compliance as identified by Compliance Officers during reviews. By identifying and clarifying common areas of non-compliance, these articles are a useful resource for pharmacy professionals to review and improve compliance with College bylaws and policies within their practice. Staying up to date with these articles can also help inform pharmacy professionals of current issues in pharmacy practice.
For more information about the Practice Review Program, please visit: https://www.bcpharmacists.org/practice-review-program