February 2023
Dear Colleagues,
“As the chair of the ASHP Society of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology (SOPIT), I would like to extend a warm greeting to all members. I hope this message finds you well. The SOPIT is dedicated to advancing the use of technology in the field of pharmacy practice, and I am honored to be leading this talented group of individuals. Together, we are committed to improving patient care through the integration of technology in healthcare. Let's continue to work together to achieve our goals.” - Generated via ChatGPT (2/2023)
Although it took me a few more attempts than it probably should have to create that greeting it was interesting to see what the AI tool would draft as responses. If you haven’t had the time yet I’d encourage you to try out the models currently available and catch up on the recent news related to the AI Chatbots. Historically healthcare hasn’t been the fast technology adopter, but it will remain important to our speciality to stay up to date on areas that have the potential to disrupt our current expectations of our roles and responsibilities within our organizations.
Enjoying the sITes and sounds of Las Vegas
It was great to connect with many of you in person during the recent ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition in Las Vegas. Those in attendance were able to partake in a number of Informatics relevant sessions, including excellent content on Artificial Intelligence applications, discussions on remote workforce, and our Pearls and Gems sessions. We also enjoyed great conversations during our SOPIT Roundtables, and our Executive Committee had the opportunity to discuss strategic initiatives and how to best continue to support the members, goals, and mission of our Section. Our informal networking sessions also had a great turnout, and we will look to continue and improve this tradition at future meetings.
For me, one of the most memorable moments of the meeting was receiving the Section’s Distinguished Service Award on behalf of Gwen Volpe. Unfortunately, Gwen was unable to join us in person, but I would like to take another opportunity to congratulate her on this honor and thank her for all the amazing contributions she has made to the section over the years.
What Else is New and Upcoming?
I would like to thank everyone who took the time to join our Fun Facts about Functionality: Informational session on the roles and responsibilities of the Executive committee. The attendance was great and the information has been archived on the Pharmacy Informatics and Technology ASHP Connect page. The Executive Committee will continue to engage in efforts to promote and educate on all the opportunities the section provides. A special thank you to all the members that took the time to apply for SOPIT Executive Committee slating consideration. Our committee on nominations will be busy in the coming months selecting our nominated slate from a very qualified pool of candidates.
In other exciting news, our Section Executive Committee recently voted to make a change to our current SAG alignment. Starting with our 2023-2024 SAG appointments, the Educational Steering Committee (ESC), and the exceptional work they provide to the development on content and surveying our members for topics of interest, will become a work group of the Professional Development SAG. We feel that the goals of these two groups are in alignment and will allow for increased resources and a broader exposure to the work the ESC tirelessly delivers each year. This change is concurrent with some of our other initiatives to optimize the time we have available for our SAG members. One such pilot effort starting this year and encouraged to move forward next year will be the use of breakout rooms during each SAGs all hands call to help limit additional meeting coordination from SAG leadership and workgroup leads. We hope this effort will allow for better real-time engagement with your Executive Committee liaison and enhance your experience with the SOPIT by maximizing your time.
Finally, planning for the ASHP Summer Meeting is well underway. There will be Integrated Informatics Institute (i3) educational programming at the meeting, so keep an eye out for the i3 tag on the full agenda. I look forward to connecting with many of you in Baltimore, as well as the opportunity to represent our Section during the ASHP House of Delegates.
Similar to the Five Rights of Clinical Decision Support and the Five Rights of Medication Administration, the Five Rights of the SOPIT Educational Steering Committee are to ensure that SOPIT provides:
- The right information (knowledge acquired from external and internal sources without bias)
- To the right persons (ASHP members, pharmacists, residents, students and technicians)
- In the right format (type of education)
- Through the right channel (educational venue)
- At the right time in the workflow (in a timely manner to enable appropriate action)
Involvement Opportunities
It is hard to believe, but the time for appointment (and reappointment) to the SAGs is NOW! If you are looking to be more involved, or wish to continue your volunteer effort, applications are accepted annually from February through early May. If you are thinking about getting involved but would like more information, please reach out to me via email!
In closing, I greatly appreciate the time and effort that all of you contribute to our mission. Each of you play an important role in making our Section and community powerful, welcoming, and successful.
Respectfully,
Benjamin J. Anderson, PharmD, MPH
Chair, Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology
[email protected]