Role Overview
The Pharmacy Quality Improvement Specialist (PQIS) will work with the Pharmacy Program at Partners In Health (PIH) and our government counterparts to make pharmaceutical care services and practices safer, more effective, patient-centered, evidence-based, timely, and sustainable. They will work with the team to improve the quality of medication management processes within PIH Rwanda supported health facilities through designing quality improvement projects for pharmaceutical care services in hospitals to solve drug-related problems during drug supply, prescribing, administration, and monitoring.
The PQIS will support analyzing and communicating data, implementing quality improvement interventions, and conducting internal monitoring and assisting in resolving/preventing gaps in medication management processes within three hospital pharmacies in PIH’s catchment area. They will interface with a diverse range of clinical departments to suggest and resolve complex issues and improve performance across the system of care.
The PQIS will report directly to Pharmacy Program Associate Director, and will indirectly collaborate with hospitals’ Continuous Quality Improvement Officers.
Responsibilities
- Assess the current medication management processes within hospitals and health centers, identify quality issues and opportunities for improvement, and support planning toward improved outcomes
- Support design and implementation of a multi-year evaluation to measure drug related quality of care in PIH's clinical areas of focus for the five-year strategic plan
- Support the development of monitoring and reporting tools in areas of drug supply, distribution, dispensing, rational medicine use and pharmacovigilance at the level of hospitals and health centers. Provide on-site training and technical assistance on the tools and systems used by teams
- Serve as a Quality Improvement coach, making visits to service delivery points to engage in performance improvement projects, provide technical support, and collaborate to meet training and educational needs of the practices
- Work closely with PIH clinical programs and government counterparts to identify focused areas for improvement and implement strategies necessary to increase quality and compliance of identified measures
- Conduct chart audits and abstractions related to quality measures, improvement projects to ensure goals, objectives, outcomes, accreditation, and regulatory requirements are met to ensure uninterrupted availability and rational use of medicines
- Develop project plans, timelines, and achieve required milestones as they pertain to current QI projects and reporting requirements
- Develop and enhance current reporting metrics to provide continuous quality improvement efforts to ensure zero stock-out and safe use of vital and tracer medications in hospital settings
- Use a range of quality improvement models to evaluate and successfully redesign processes toward improved performance in terms of drug availability, prescribing, dispensing and patients’ safety
- Continuously monitor quality improvement reports, perform adequate data/barrier analysis, identify opportunities for improvement and develop performance improvement targets and recommendations across the PIH and health facilities supported
Skills and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in a healthcare-related field, such as Pharmacy, Nursing, Health Information Technology, Public Health, Psychology or similar field
- At least one year of experience working or volunteering in a clinical healthcare delivery setting*
- Prior experience in designing or implementing quality improvement projects
- Experience in quantitative or qualitative data analysis
- Experience in accreditation, compliance, or federal/state regulations (i.e. quality assurance) in health care
- Demonstrated project management skills with the ability to ensure effective coordination with internal and external collaborators
- Excellent written communication skills with experience writing reports or similar materials
- Experience facilitating presentations or trainings
- Knowledge of patient safety evaluation and improvement
- Proficiency in MS-Office suite (Excel, Word, PPT)
- Willingness to work and live in remote rural settings
- Analytical and critical-thinking skills
- A high level of proficiency in serving on teams, team building and facilitation
- Ability to manage confidential and sensitive information appropriately
- Should be well organized, self-directed, able to work independently, with ability to interact, in a professional manner, with staff on all levels and the public
- Ability to manage multiple responsibilities and meet deadlines
- Familiarity with Safeguarding/PSEA and an understanding of the international context in which this issue can impact PIHx
About the Organization
PIH, known locally as Inshuti Mu Buzima, envisions thriving communities of healthy, happy, and productive people, where social justice and universal quality health services are available to all. Our mission is to support Rwanda in designing, building, and implementing a world class health system that provides equitable, accessible and high quality services to all in need.
Partners In Health Rwanda launched its five-year strategic plan in July 2021. PIH intends to improve quality of care across five clinical areas of focus: maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health; oncology; non-communicable diseases (NCDs); mental health; and surgery. PIH takes a health system strengthening approach to improving quality of care, which includes continuous, data driven quality improvement.
Stipend, Benefits, and Logistics
Click here to learn about the stipend, benefits, and logistics associated with the GHC fellowship.
Note: these vary depending on placement country and citizenship.