Formulary System Management Quiz

Study Notes

Management of the Formulary System

The Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee is responsible for managing the formulary system, comprising actively practicing physicians, pharmacists, nurses, administrators, quality improvement managers, and other healthcare professionals.
Decisions on formulary management should be based on evidence-based clinical, ethical, legal, quality-of-life, safety, and economic factors to ensure optimal patient care.

Composition of a Typical Formulary

A typical formulary should contain:
- Title page
- Names and titles of P&T committee members and their responsibilities
- Table of contents
- Hospital policies and procedures concerning drugs
- Information on how to use the formulary
- Lists of products accepted for use in the hospital
- Generic-brand name cross-reference list
- Descriptions of formulary drug products by pharmacology therapeutic class
- Central service equipment and supply list
- Rules for calculating pediatric doses
- Nomogram for estimating body surface area
- Schedule of standard drug administration times
- Index

Drug Entry and Organization

Drug entries may be organized alphabetically by generic name or within therapeutic class

Specific Medication-Use Policies

Policies should address:
- How medications are requested for addition to or deletion from the formulary
- The process for developing, implementing, and monitoring medication-use guidelines
- Methods for ensuring safe prescribing, distribution, administration, and monitoring of medications
- Methods for selecting suitable manufacturers for specific medications

Pharmacist's Responsibility

The pharmacist is responsible for specifying the quality, quantity, and source of supply of all medications, chemicals, biologicals, and pharmaceutical preparations used in diagnosis and treatment.

Additional Information

Other special information to be added to the formulary includes:
- Nutritional products list
- List of hospital-approved abbreviations
- List of sugar-free drug products
- Number of items available for emergency boxes
- Metric conversions
- Antidotes

Introduction to Hospital Formulary

A hospital formulary is a list of pharmaceutical agents with important information, reflecting the current clinical views of the medical staff.
The hospital formulary system selects and evaluates medical agents and their dosage forms, considered most useful in patient care.

Importance and Benefits of Hospital Formulary

Importance:
- Increasing number of new drugs manufactured and marketed by drug companies
- Increasing complexity of unwanted side effects of modern potent drugs
- Newer sales promotion strategies of pharmaceutical industry
- Public interest in getting possible healthcare at the lowest possible cost
Benefits:
- Therapeutic: promotes safe, intelligent, and effective therapy in the hospital
- Economic: prevents unnecessary duplication, waste, and confusion, promoting economy for the hospital and patient
- Educational: provides drug information to medical staff and nurses

Disadvantages of Hospital Formulary

The hospital formulary system deprives physicians of the right to prescribe and obtain the brand of their choice.

Description

Test your knowledge on the management of formulary systems, including the role of the P&T committee and decision-making processes. Learn about the responsibilities and composition of the committee involved in managing the formulary system.