Glen J Pearson
We are all one—or at least we should be— and it is our job, our duty, and our great challenge to fight the voices of division and seek the salve of reconciliation.
—Roy Barnes (former governor [1999–2003], State of Georgia, USA)
Those of us who are institutional pharmacy practitioners are intimately familiar with medication reconciliation, defined by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada as “a formal process in which healthcare providers work together with patients, families and care providers to ensure accurate and comprehensive medication information is communicated consistently across transitions of care” (www.ismp-canada.org/medrec/). Similarly, the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) must constantly partake in the process of organizational reconciliation to keep current with the pace of change and priorities within our profession and the overall health care environment. Organizational reconciliation entails a systematic, comprehensive review of all the potential environmental impacts on the organization and the profession to ensure that every CSHP program, activity, and initiative (whether being considered for initiation, alteration, maintenance, or discontinuation) is carefully evaluated.
Since taking up the role of President Elect and External Liaison, I have worked closely with the CSHP Board and Executive team on this process of organizational reconciliation. We are facing challenges and are working hard to ensure that our mission and vision are being achieved, that our values are being upheld, and that we continue to deliver high-quality member benefits while maintaining fiscal responsibility—this is no easy task. Thankfully, this responsibility is made easier by the dedication and efforts of our Board members, who are always willing to share their perspectives and ensure that all decisions are made in an informed manner.
This issue of the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy ( CJHP ) represents a change in the method of how the journal strives “to be a respected international publication serving as a major venue for dissemination of information related to patient-centred pharmacy practice in hospitals and other collaborative health care settings in Canada and throughout the world.” The Board’s decision to publish CJHP in an electronic-only format reconciles the journal’s focus on achieving its mission to be “an academic journal that focuses on how pharmacists in hospitals and other collaborative health care settings optimize safe and effective drug use for patients in Canada and throughout the world” with reducing the economic burden of printing and postage costs. Importantly, this reconciliation of academic excellence and finances resulting in elimination of the print journal will not unsettle the significant efforts of the Editorial Board toward their plan for successful application for MEDLINE indexing in the future.
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In these times of economic and resource constraint, the CSHP Board continues to work diligently to provide the professional leadership and programming excellence that are important to its members. During this time, we encourage all members to get involved, to have their voices heard, and to help shape the positive changes that will occur within the organization in the future. Although we all need to reconcile ourselves to accept change, I hope everyone will consider how they can help contribute to the process of making the mission, vision, and values of CSHP compatible with the realities of our current economic and professional environment.
Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy , VOLUME 68 , NUMBER 1 , January-February 2015