The department or service in a hospital which is under the direction of a professionally competent, legally qualified pharmacists, and from which all medications are supplied to the nursing units and other services, special prescriptions are filled for patients in the hospital, for ambulatory patients and out-patients, pharmaceuticals are manufactured in bulk, narcotic and other prescribed Medications are dispensed, injectable preparations prepared and sterilized, and professional supplies are often stocked and dispensed.
The mission of hospital pharmacy is to help people make the best use of medications. The elements of Hospital pharmacy services that are critical to safe, effective, and cost-conscious medication use in a hospital include:
(1) The procurement, distribution, and control of all pharmaceuticals used within the facility.
(2) Medication-use policy development
(3) The evaluation and dissemination of comprehensive information about Medications and their use to the institution’s staff and patients.
(4) Clinical service and patient care
(5) The monitoring, evaluation, and assurance of the quality of Medication use.
(6) Education & Research
There are three major area under hospital pharmacy department:
- Dispensing and Compounding Unit
- Clinical Pharmacy Unit
- Medication Storage Area
Under hospital pharmacy following activities also performed to ensure safe and effective medication:
- Preparation of non sterile products
- Preparation of sterile products including intravenous admixtures, Dialysis fluids , and irrigations) &Compounding Parenteral Nutrition Admixtures
- Unit dose dispensing
- Individual Prescription Order Monitoring
Role of hospital pharmacist in quality use of medicines
- Participate in setting Guidelines, policies and procedures.
- Medication safety practices or goals.
- Patient and employee satisfaction surveys.
- Medication use evaluation MUE activities.
- Medication errors and Adverse Medication reactions ADR evaluations.
- Pharmacy performance measures/indicators.
- Quality management education and training.
- Job specific or general competence assessments.
Read also: Major Job Responsibilities of a Clinical Pharmacist