Hospital Pharmacy

1. INTRODUCTION

            What is “Hospital?” and what is “Pharmacy?”

            Hospital is defined as an institution of community health. Its functions encompasses the entire spectrum of health includes medical care, prevention,
diagnosis and therapy, disease advice, rehabilitation, education and social service. It is a service organization. The object of any hospital is to help people attain and maintain health. The hospital provides services such as people can regain health and remain healthy, improving the quality of life, while the Pharmacy is the profession which deals with the medicines.

 II. DEFINITION OF HOSPITAL PHARMACY

           

            Hospital Pharmacy is a department inside the hospital doing the profession of pharmacy, where the medicines are chosen, purchased, prepared, stored and dispensed to out-patients and in-patients, manufactures various dosages forms that are widely used in hospital.It is managed under the direction of a professionally competent and qualified pharmacist.

  

     Objectives of a Hospital Pharmacy:

           1. To do pharmaceutical services in a professional way.

           2. To play effectively his role to fulfill the overall objectives of the hospital

           3. To ensure the availability of the right medication at the right time, in the right

                dose and at the minimum possible cost (cost-effectiveness).

           4. To function as materials manager with respect to purchase, storage, and inventory

                control.

           5. To serve as counseling department to patients, nurses and medical staffs on

               dosage regimen, bioavailability, precautions with respect to diet, possible side-

               effects, toxicity and antidotes etc.

           6. To act as a data bank on medicines utilization and pharmacokinetic aspects

           7. To coordinate and cooperate with other departments of the hospital

III. ROLES OF PHARMACIST IN THE HOSPITAL

            In the hospital, the pharmacist carried out the following functions: 

            1. Purchases/Receives the purchased medicines from supplier and store them properly.

            2. Dispenses medicines directly to out-patients on prescription of the hospital doctors.

3. Supplies medicines to in-patients through nursing staffs.

4. Stores narcotics and poisonous drugs in the special cupboard under lock and key and

dispenses them strictly through the doctors request.

5. Buys, stores and supplies ancillary products and articles required in the hospital.

6. Maintains proper accounts of the medicines and other articles via receipts and issues.

7. To furnish information on medicines to doctors and nurses

8. Carries out medicines monitoring service by studying the effects of various medicines

administered to the patients especially the in-patients in the wards and maintains the

details by way of reports. (Pharmacovigilance)

9. Patient counseling service while supplying medicines, especially in the out-patient      department.

Reference: The roles of pharmacist in the healthcare system. By WHO