A hospital pharmacy is an integral part of a healthcare facility that specializes in the procurement, storage, dispensing, and management of medications for patients within the hospital setting. It plays a critical role in ensuring the safe and effective use of medications to support patient care. Hospital pharmacists work closely with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to optimize medication therapy, provide drug information, monitor patient outcomes, and promote medication safety. They are responsible for dispensing medications, verifying prescriptions, and ensuring proper dosing and administration. Hospital pharmacies also oversee medication inventory, maintain medication storage and security, and implement quality control measures. They play a vital role in medication reconciliation, medication therapy management, and patient education regarding medication use. The hospital pharmacy works in collaboration with healthcare teams to deliver high-quality pharmaceutical care to patients during their hospital stay.
2. HOSPITAL PHARMACY
Hospital Pharmacy is the department or a domain in the hospital
organization
Department of the hospital which deals with procurement,
storage, compounding, dispensing, manufacturing, testing,
packaging and distribution of drugs.
Also concerned with education and research in pharmaceutical
services.
It is under the direction of professionally competent, legally
qualified pharmacist.
3. FUNCTIONS OF HOSPITAL PHARMACY
Hospital pharmacist is responsible for the following:
Dispensing of drugs and medicines as per the prescriptions of
the medical staff of the hospital for out patients and inpatients.
Purchase of drugs and medicines and other allied stores as per
the recommendations of the pharmacy and therapeutics
committee(PTC).
Providing instructions for proper storage of such drugs and
medicines.
Maintenance of proper records of the drugs purchased and
4. FUNCTIONS OF HOSPITAL PHARMACY
Storage and dispensing of narcotic and biological products.
Supply and storage of ancillary products and articles required
in the hospital.
Manufacture and distribution of medicaments and products
such as transfusion fluids, tablets, capsules, ointments, stock
mixtures as per the hospitals formulary.
Providing therapeutic drug monitoring services by studying
effects of various drugs administered to the inpatients.
5. FUNCTIONS OF HOSPITAL PHARMACY
Maintaining liaison with the medical staff , nursing staff and
the patients
To maintain the nursing department and the central sterile
supply unit in the hospital.
Participate in the teaching programmers of nursing and the
pharmacy students.
6. SET UP OF HOSPITAL PHARMACY
PATIENTS CLINICAL STAFF
HOSPITAL
ADMINISTRATION NURSING STAFF
HOSPITAL OTHER
COMMITTEES DEPARTMENTS
The Hospital pharmacy department have the interaction
and provides services to the above mentioned other all
departments of a hospital.
DEPARMENT
OF
PHARMACY
7. ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE OF HP
Director or
Dean or MS
Pharmacy I/C
Dispensing and
distribution of
drugs
Manufacturing
Quality
Control
Drug
Monitoring
services and
drug Info
services
Medical
Store
Director of
Pharm
Services
8. ORGANIZATION LOCATION AND LAYOUT
Chief pharmacist - P.G with 3 years experience in various activities
such as – dispensing, storage, purchase and inventory control,
manufacturing procedures.
LOCATION & LAYOUT:
Pharmacy should be near to the exit,
Sub-departments attached or should be adjacent to the main
pharmacy.
The wards should have easy accessibility.
Outpatient dept should be well spaced, furnished and provide the
educational literature facilities to the patients.
9. STAFFS REQUIREMENTS
Mainly based upon the bed strength, functions and quality of
functions provided.
Chief pharmacist.
Sufficient no. of assistants, clerks and attenders.
In case of manufacturing unit present –
P.G pharmacist with 3 years experience. And analytical
pharmacist with enough experience.
11. FLOOR/SPACE REQUIREMENT
Should confirm to the norms laid down by the Drugs and
Cosmetics Act1940
Pharmacy requires minimum of 250sq.feet for any sized hospital.
10 sq feet/Bed 100 bed hospital
6 sq feet/Bed 200 bed hospital
5 sq feet/Bed Large Hospital
Larger space Teaching Hospital
12. RESPONSIBILITY OF HOSPITAL PHARMACIST
Inpatient pharmacist responsibility:
CENTRAL DISPENSING AREA.
PATIENT CARE AREAS.
DIRECT PATIENT CARE AREAS.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY.
13. INPATIENT (or) INDOOR PHARMACIST
RESPONSIBILITIES
CENTRAL DISPENSING AREA
Dispensing of drugs.
Check accuracy of dosage prepared - I.V Preparations and unit
dose incase if followed.
Proper record maintenance and preparation of bills.
Keep abreast of the drug information.
Train the new personnel regarding the policies and procedures.
Communicate with all pharmacy staffs regarding the new
developments in the hospital.
Coordinate with available staff to best possible use of personnel
and resources.
14. PATIENT CARE AREA
Rapport with nurses involved with administration of the
medications. Deal with administration problems and ensure
adequate supply is maintained.
Review of drug administration.
Instruction and assistance to new pharmacist.
15. DIRECT PATIENT CARE AREA
Identify drugs brought by the patients
Med. History and communicating for the present treatment
regimen
Assist in selection of drugs.
Monitor patients regarding the therapy.
Patient counseling during the discharge.
Participate in cardiopulmonary emergency – Drugs, Charting
and necessary procedures that require pharmacist aid.
16. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY
To provide in service training & education for:
The Pharmacist.
Pharmacy student.
Nurses & nursing student.
Physicians & medical student
To provide information regarding drugs to physicians, nurses
& other health care professionals.
17. OUTDOOR PHARMACISTS RESPONSIBILITIES
CENTRAL DISPENSING AREA
The pharmacist ensure that
proper techniques are used in extemporaneous compounding .
provides for adequate record keeping and billing in respect of
patient medication particulars, records of investigational drugs
records of out patient bills for the charges of services and
material , furnished by the department.
Correctly maintaining the prescription files.
Keeps the outdoor pharmacy in a neat and tidy manner.
18. PATIENT CARE AREA
To periodically inspect the medication areas on the nursing unit
and to make sure that they are always adequately supplied
with other articles required.
To identify drugs brought in to the clinic by the patient and
record the patients medication history.
Monitoring of drugs.
To counsel the patients on the proper use of their medication
and prepare the medication for the intravenous administration
19. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To co-ordinate overall pharmaceutical needs, of the outdoor
service area and exercise adequate control over such drugs.
To ensure that all drugs are handled properly such as storage of
investigational drugs.
To participate in cardio pulmonary emergencies.
To provide for in service education and training for the
pharmacists, pharmacy items i.e. the pharmacy students sent
for practical training as a part of diploma or degree courses,
nurses.