2.(c).
HOSPITAL PHARMACIST
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Apollojames
Lecturer,
Nandha college of Pharmacy.
• Hospital pharmacy is the department,
services or a domain in the hospital
organisation managed under the
direction of a professionally competent,
legally qualified pharmacist.
• They also monitor the health and
progress of patient by ensuring that
medications are safely and effectively .
ROLES OF HOSPITAL PHARMACIST
• Participating in ward rounds with doctors, taking
patients drug histories, contributing in the therapy
decision – making process by giving information about
drug’s potential side effects and its management –drug
interaction and individualization of drug therapy on
assessing the health condition of the patient .
• Advising the patient on the course, route of
administration and effects of the drug treatments,
particularly those that require complex drug therapy.
• Improving all aspects of delivery by monitoring
medication therapy and reporting adverse effects
among patients.
• Coordinating with medical practitioners, nurses
and other health care professionals to ensure
safe and effective, economic drug treatment for
patients.
• Communicating effectively with patient’s and
other Health care professionals
• Sterile medication- Preparing and quality
checking
• Ensuring the potency of medicinal product by
storing them at the recommended storage
condition.
• Ensuring dispensing of medicines in correct form
and dose at right time to the inpatient and the
outpatient as per the prescription received.
• Responding promptly to medication – related
queries from hospitals.
• Being updated with the recent progress in the
research and development and participating in
research programmes conducted in hospitals.
• Drafting guidelines for drug use and
implementing them within the hospital.
• Providing detailed information to hospital
administration regarding budgets and drug
expenditures for the whole year.
• Setting up clinical trial units for evaluating and
recommending new medications that are the
safest and most effective for the patients
INPATIENT OR INDOOR- PHARMACIST RESPONSIBILITIES
1.Central dispensing area
To ensure that all drugs are stored dispensed correctly .
To have a control of drugs stored and supplied from his Section .
To check the accuracy of the dosage prepared especially of
intravenous admixtures , unit doses and to see that good technique
are followed .
To keep proper records of patient medications and preparation of
bills .
To coordinate the over all pharmaceutical needs of the ‘patient
care ’ areas with the central dispensing area .
He has to ensure that all laws and rules application to his section
are followed properly.
To ensure that the established policies and procedures laid down
are followed. Central dispensing area should be kept neat and
clean .
INPATIENT OR INDOOR- PHARMACIST RESPONSIBILITIES
1.Central dispensing area
To maintain professional competence, particularly by updating
with information regarding drug current usage in hospital, with
special reference to their side effects, adverse reaction, drug
interaction, therapeutic efficacy etc .
To communicate with all pharmacy staff regarding new
development in the area and assist in evaluations of employees of
his section.
To ensure that new personnel in his section are properly trained
in the policies and procedures of the central dispensing area .
To co-ordinate the activities of the area with the available staff to
make the best possible use of the personnel and resources.
INPATIENT OR INDOOR- PHARMACIST RESPONSIBILITIES
2. Patient care areas
• To maintain a liaison with nurses who are
involved in the drug administration to the patient
in their charge. R.Ph also communicate with
nurses and physician concerning medication area
in the nursing units to make that adequate levels
of supplies are maintained .
• Reviewing of drug administered in each patient
periodically to ensure that all doses are being
administered and charted accordingly .
• Ph should assure that new drugs administration
forms are transcribed accurately for continuing of
drug therapy and that drug charge are correctly
assured .
INPATIENT OR INDOOR- PHARMACIST RESPONSIBILITIES
2. Patient care areas
• To provide instruction and assistance to the junior
pharmacist as needed in dealing with difficult patient
and new procedures.
• Ph also make sure that adequate junior pharmacist
coverage is provided in the patient care areas and also
takes steps to train the new junior pharmacist .
• To coordinate over all pharmaceutical services on the
running units level. Ph also ensure that the junior
pharmacist keep the unit medication area neat and that
proper security is maintained in the medication area to
prevent thefts or pilferages.
3.Direct patient care areas:
• Identification of drug brought into the hospital by
the patient .
• Obtaining patient medication history and
communicating all the information to the
attending physician.
• To assist in the selection of drug product and
their identities. Ph also assist physician in
selecting dosage pattern and schedule, and
assigns the timing for the drug administration.
• To monitor patient total drug therapy for:
Effectiveness, side effect, toxicities, allergic
reaction, drug interaction ......
3.Direct patient care areas:
• Counselling patient on :
Medication which are to be self
administered in the hospital, regarding the
use of discharge – medicines.
• Participating in cardio – pulmonary
emergencies by :
Procurement or preparation of drug needed
Charting all medication given.
4.General responsibilities:
• Pharmacist is expected to provide in service
training and education for : the pharmacist,
pharmacy student, nurses and Nursing
students, physician and other Health care
Providers.
OUTDOOR PHARMACIST RESPONSIBILITIES :
1.central dispensing area
The pharmacist ensure that :
• Proper techniques are used in correct compounding.
• Provides for adequate record keeping and billing in
respect of patient medication particulars, records of
investigation drug, records of outpatient bills for the
charge of service and material, furnished by the
department and the most important are maintaining
and preparing all report.
• Correctly maintaining prescription files.
• Keeps the outdoor pharmacy in a neat and tidy manner.
OUTDOOR PHARMACIST RESPONSIBILITIES :
2.Patient care area :
To periodically inspect the medication area on the
nursing unit and to make sure that they are always
kept adequately supplied with drug and other
articles required .
To identify drug brought into the clinic by the
patient and record the patient medication history.
Pharmacist can assist physician in selection of drug
regimen and schedules.
Monitoring of drug as explained earlier.
To counsel the patient on the proper use of
their medication and prepare the medication for
intravenous administration.
OUTDOOR PHARMACIST RESPONSIBILITIES :
3.General responsibilities:
• To co-ordinate overall pharmaceutical needs
of the outdoor service area and exercise
adequate control over such drugs.
• To ensure that all drug are handled properly
such as storage of investigation drug .
• participating in cardio- pulmonary
emergencies.
• To provide for in service education and
training for pharmacist.
END
