Hospital Pharmacy Practice

HOSPITAL PHARMACY SERVICES Inpatient Drug Distribution Systems: Hospital pharmacies carry out a number of unique activities such as unit dose drug distribution system, repackaging, floor stock, and an IV admixture/TPN service. Also, a unit dose drug distribution system saves money and reduces the chance of medication errors.

Floor Stock Floor stock deals with medications that are Dispensed frequently on a prn basis. Typical floor stock consists of emergency meds, and bulk items such as antacids, cough syrup, acetaminophen elixir, ointments, creams, and inhalers.

Functions of a Hospital Diagnosis and testing 2. Treatment and therapy 3. Public processing (including admissions, record keeping, billing, and planning for post-release patient care)

Functions of a Hospital 4. Public health education and promotion, done through a variety of programs, including smoking cessation programs, weight loss programs, support group programs, and screening of community members (including mammographies and testing of blood pressure and cholesterol)

Functions of a Hospital 5. Teaching (i.e., training health professionals) 6. Research (i.e., carrying out programs that add to the sum of medical knowledge)

Universal Pharmacy Services Services Similar to Community Pharmacy Services Maintaining drug treatment records 2. Ordering and stocking medications and medical supplies 3. Repackaging medications 4. Dispensing medications 5. Providing information about the proper use of medications

Sample Repackaging Log

Hospital Pharmacy Issues Safety Note! Expiration dates must be included on all repackaged medications.

Universal Pharmacy Services Services Similar to Community Pharmacy Services 6. Collecting and evaluating information about adverse drug reactions and interactions 7. Preparing medications in various dose forms for dispensing 8. Educating and counseling patients about their drug therapies 9. Preventing, identifying, and resolving medication-related problems

Hospital Pharmacy Services Services Provided by a Hospital Pharmacy Preparing and maintaining a formulary 2. Conducting drug use evaluations 3. Following universal precautions 4. Preparing products using aseptic techniques 5. Ensuring that hazardous agents are handled and disposed of properly

Universal Precautions The procedures followed in a healthcare setting to prevent infection as a result of exposure to blood or other bodily fluids.

Aseptic Technique The manipulation of sterile products in such a way as to avoid introducing pathogens or disease causing organisms.

Hospital Pharmacy Services Services Provided by a Hospital Pharmacy 6. Filling medication orders (as opposed to prescriptions) 7. Routinely preparing 24-hour supplies of patient medications in a form appropriate for a single administration to a patient (as opposed to a 30- or 90-day supply)

Home Healthcare Discharge Medication Orders for Home Healthcare Discharge

Hospital Pharmacy Services Services Provided by a Hospital Pharmacy 8. Stocking nursing stations with medications and supplies 9. Delivering medications to patients’ rooms 10. Maintaining a drug information service, and providing drug information to the other healthcare professionals in the institution

HOSPITAL PHARMACY SERVICES Clinical Services: Many hospitals offer clinical and consultative services such as nutrition support, pharmacokinetics, critical care, and other specialties. Drug Information Services: Most hospitals have a drug information service that is primarily responsible for making recommendations on a drug formulary. A hospital pharmacy may maintain a drug information center, containing reference works, including books, periodicals, microfilm, CDs, DVDs, and access to computerized or Internet databases.

Hospital Pharmacy Services Services Provided by a Hospital Pharmacy 11. Educating and counseling inpatients and outpatients about their drug therapies 12. Monitoring patient outcomes 13. Preventing, identifying, and resolving medication-related problems 14. Participating in clinical drug investigations and research

Hospital Pharmacy Services Services Provided by a Hospital Pharmacy 15. Providing in-service drug-related education 16. Reviewing or auditing prescription services for evaluation of service accuracy and quality 17. Providing expert consultations in such areas as pediatric pharmacology, nutritional support, and pharmacokinetics

Hospital Pharmacy Issues Safety Note! As in the community pharmacy, in the hospital pharmacy the technician works under the direct supervision of the pharmacist.

HOSPITAL PHARMACY SERVICES Outpatient Pharmacy Services: Many large hospitals operate an outpatient pharmacy to serve the medication needs of patients discharged from the hospital, as well as for those patients who are seen in the emergency room or other ambulatory clinics adjoining the hospital.

AUTOMATION IN THE HOSPITAL PHARMACY Technology is used in the hospital pharmacy to increase accuracy and improve efficiency and quality of pharmacy services. Automated pharmacy services are replacing some of the routine, time-consuming filling procedures. For instance, large automated robots are now being used to perform some of the filling procedures with near 100% accuracy

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT An important part of the technician’s position is the receipt, storage, and ordering of pharmaceuticals; discrepancies in the order from the wholesaler or pharmaceutical manufacturer should be resolved. Automation from the pharmacy wholesalers is making inventory management more accurate and less costly.

Hospital Pharmacy Issues Safety Note! Although automation reduces errors, technical errors must still be monitored.

ORGANIZATION OF THE HOSPITAL Pharmacy Administration: The director of pharmacy is the pharmacist-in-charge, with overall responsibility for the hospital’s pharmacy services. Depending on the hospital size, additional assistant or associate directors may work under the director. In small rural hospitals, only one or two pharmacists may make up the pharmacy staff.

ORGANIZATION OF THE HOSPITAL Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations: The JCAHO is an independent, non-profit group that sets the standards by which quality of healthcare is measured. The primary mission of JCAHO is to ensure quality care and patient safety in the hospitals that are accredited. They evaluate levels of safety and the quality of care in more than 15,000 healthcare organizations.

Hospital Pharmacy Issues Safety Note! Almost 50% of JCAHO standards relate directly to safety.

ORGANIZATION OF THE HOSPITAL Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee: The P&T committee is primarily responsible for making the final decision on drug formulary decisions. Infection Control Committee: The major role of the infection control committee (ICC) is the prevention of nosocomial infections in the hospital. Universal precautions are used to prevent infection when a hospital worker comes into contact with blood or other bodily fluids.

ORGANIZATION OF THE HOSPITAL Institutional Review Board: The IRB is responsible for protecting the patient in investigational studies undertaken in the hospital.

Universal Precaution Guidelines Universal precautions apply to all persons within the hospital. 2. Universal precautions apply to all contact or potential contact with blood, other bodily fluids, or body substances. 3. Disposable latex gloves must be worn when contact with blood or other bodily fluids is anticipated or possible.

Universal Precaution Guidelines 4. Hands must be washed thoroughly after removing the latex gloves. 5. Blood-soaked or contaminated materials, such as gloves, towels, or bandages, must be disposed of in a wastebasket lined with a plastic bag. 6. Properly trained custodial personnel must be called if cleanup or removal of contaminated waste is necessary.

Universal Precaution Guidelines 7. Contaminated materials such as needles, syringes, swabs, and catheters must be placed into red plastic containers labeled for disposal of biohazardous materials. Proper institutional procedures generally involve incineration.

Universal Precaution Guidelines 8. A first-aid kit must be kept on hand in any area in which contact with blood or other bodily fluids is possible. The kit should contain, at minimum, the following items: adhesive bandages for covering small wounds

Universal Precaution Guidelines alcohol antiseptic/disinfectant bottle of bleach, which will be diluted at time of use to create a solution containing 1 part bleach to 10 parts water, for use in cleaning up blood spills box of disposable latex gloves disposable towels

Universal Precaution Guidelines medical tape plastic bag or container for contaminated waste disposal sterile gauze for covering large wounds

Sample MAR

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