2024 Incentive Grant Recipient: Luke Witkowski, PharmD
Project Proposal: Evaluating the Perceived Impact of Drug shortages on Patient Care by Patients in a Community-based Pharmacy Chain
Luke Witowski is a Pharmacy Resident with Albertsons Companies/Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“Community pharmacists are consistently faced with new operational challenges impeding their ability to provide high quality patient care. Most recently, a challenge that community pharmacy has had to navigate is as simple as not having medications in stock for their patients. Drug shortages and unexpected backorders have not only caused interruptions in medication therapy, but also have caused additional effects on the patient themselves.”
"Having to tell patients that you cannot provide them their medications due to a drug shortage with no estimated timeline on its availability is extremely difficult. As this continually happens in community pharmacy, the effects on patients are multifactorial. Community pharmacists are in a unique position to have an impact on this problem and processes need to be implemented to prevent additional clinical, emotional, and financial effects on the patient."
"I am extremely grateful to receive this incentive grant and the opportunity to hear feedback from patients who have been affected by a drug shortage. Community pharmacists are in a unique position to help patients navigate drug shortages and prevent any emotional, clinical, and financial complications a patient may have during a drug shortage."