1. Dispensing to in and out patients or Drug distribution system

2. Drug distribution system
One of the basic services provided by hospital pharmacy department is drug distribution. Drug distribution system falls into three broad categories:
Ward-controlled system
Pharmacy-controlled imprest-based system
Pharmacy-controlled patient issue system

3. i) Ward-controlled system
This system is also called ‘ward-basket’ system which occurs where the ward writes an order to pharmacy for all drugs it anticipates over a particular time period for two or three days. The pharmacy then assembles the order and sends it to the ward without seeing the original in-patient medication orders written by physician. Such systems are rarely seen in public hospitals with a pharmacy department.

4. ii) Pharmacy-controlled imprest-based system
This is the commonly used system. In such systems, a defined range of drugs are available in each ward and is managed by pharmacy staff. Traditionally, such systems have accounted for the distribution of 75 per cent to 80 per cent of in-patient drugs, the balance being supplied directly to the patient.

5. iii) Pharmacy-controlled patient issue system
The systems of this category are based on direct patient issue. In this system, the drugs are issued to the patient rather than the ward and can be classed as unit dose systems. In the unit-dose system is each dose is delivered by the pharmacy.

6. Out-patient services/ Dispensing to out-patients
Out-patient refers to patients not occupying beds in hospital or in clinics, health centers and other places where out-patients usually go for health care. In short form the out-patient department is known as O.P.D. The patients with minor and common illness go to the O.P.D. for consultation to the physician. After examining the patient, if the physician feels that there is no need of admitting the patient to the hospital ward, he prescribes the medicines and the patient is required to get prescribed medicines from the hospital pharmacy and take home these medicines.

7. Dispensing to out-patients
The prescription written by the physician is brought to the pharmacist for compounding and dispensing. After careful examination of the prescription, the pharmacist carries out the compounding. The compounded medicaments are filled into suitable containers which are labeled properly. The pharmacist also calculates the price of the filled prescription which are handed over the patient.

8. Dispensing to out-patients
Hospitals generally break down their out-patient load into three categories:
Emergency
Referral or tertiary care
Primary care and
Ambulatory

9. Dispensing to out-patients
Hospitals generally break down their out-patient load into three categories:
Emergency
Referral or tertiary care
Primary care and
Ambulatory

10. Emergency out-patient
A person given emergency or accidental care for conditions which require immediate medical attention.

11. Referred out-patient
A patient referred directly to out-patient department by his attending medical/dental practitioner for specific treatment, other than an emergency treatment.

12. Primary care
Primary care is majority care. It describes a range of services adequate for meeting the great majority of daily personal health needs. This majority includes the need for prevention, health maintenance and for evaluation and management of various symptoms, problems and chronic aspects of disease.

13. Ambulatory patient
An ambulatory patient is able to walk and since outpatients receive primary health care and walk off, they are wrongly called ambulatory patients. However majority of the out-patients are ambulatory.