Pharmaceutical Services Dept to host workshop on medication errors

The Chief of Drugs and Pharmaceutical Services Gracia Wheatley-Smith has announced that a workshop to address the issue of medication errors in the territory will be conducted next week. 

The workshop is expected to take place on Thursday, March 24, under the theme ‘Optimizing Pharmaceutical Care- Reconciling the stark reality of medication errors’ and it will be held via Zoom from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. 

The workshop is targeting healthcare workers including doctors, nurses, geriatric aides, nutritionists, medical imaging personnel, nursing assistants and other health professionals and members of the wider Virgin Islands community. 

“This workshop is extremely important because we want to empower and educate stakeholders about medication errors, how they occur, how they can impact patients, and most importantly how they can be minimized”, Wheatley-Smith said. 

“I hold the opinion that medicines help but they also harm if they are not used properly. Irrational use of medication can make your medical condition worse or even cause death,” the Chief of Drugs and Pharmaceutical Services added. 

The workshop will provide participants with a better knowledge of medication errors, how they can be prevented and how they can improve their individual practices. 

The course will be facilitated by Consultant, Regional and International Speaker on Pharmaceuticals and former Head of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Pharmaceutical Procurement Service Francis Burnett. 

Continuing Medical Education credits are also available. 

The session will cater for 100 spaces and interested persons can reserve a space by contacting Wheatley-Smith at 468-9850 or via email at [email protected] to register. A fee of $ 10.00 is required for participation