Change management in pharmacy: a simulation game and pharmacy leaders' rating of 35 barriers to change

Objectives The primary objective was to rank barriers to change in pharmacy practice. Our secondary objective was to create a simulation game to stimulate reflection and discussion on the topic of change management. Methods The game was created by the authors and used during a symposium attended by 43 hospital pharmacy leaders from all regions of Canada (Millcroft Conference, Alton, Ontario, June 2013). The main theme of the conference was 'managing change'. Key findings The simulation game, the rating of 35 barriers to change and the discussion that followed provided an opportunity for hospital pharmacy leaders to reflect on potential barriers to change, and how change might be facilitated through the use of an organized approach to change, such as that described in Kotter's eight-step model. Conclusions This simulation game, and the associated rating of barriers to change, provided an opportunity for a group of hospital pharmacy leaders in Canada to reflect on the challenges associated with managing change in the healthcare setting. This simulation game can be modified and used by pharmacy practitioners in other countries to help identify and rank barriers to change in their particular pharmacy practice setting.