Failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (fmeca): application to pharmacy management process

Pharmacy represents the last link in the drug chain and errors are still an embarrassing reality. Therefore, everything must be organized to minimize this risk and its seriousness. In this context, Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), applied to pharmacy activities, allows controlling risks of non-conformity which can negatively affect pharmaceutical services quality.
Our study aimed to apply FMECA tool in practice at a pharmacy store involved in the implementation of a quality management system, in order to propose for each identified risk a matrix of preventive and corrective actions. This was done through three main stages:
- Identification and description of the elementary processes forming the management macro-process of the pharmacy store;
- Drafting procedures describing main activities of identified elementary process;
- Application of FMECA tool to the described activities.
The FMECA results allowed identifying possible risks, reconsidering certain procedures and proposing measures matrix for the management of the most critical risks in the studied pharmacy. These results can also serve as a model for pharmacy stores wishing to raise their staff awareness about "risk culture" and to improve the quality of their services, which would enhance pharmacy profession value.