Hospital Pharmacist Role Quiz

Hospital Pharmacist Role

• Hospitals and other healthcare institutions, such as drug dependency centers and long-term care facilities, can be publicly or privately operated.
• Hospital pharmacists have more interaction with prescribers than community pharmacists to promote rational drug use.
• Hospital pharmacists often specialize within a hospital's large pharmacy setting, interacting with multiple staff members and gaining expertise.
• Access to medical records allows hospital pharmacists to influence drug selection, patient compliance monitoring, and adverse drug reaction reporting.
• Hospital pharmacists can easily monitor and assess drug usage patterns, suggesting changes when necessary.
• They participate in policy-making committees (e.g., Drug and Therapeutics Committee) to influence essential drug lists.
• Pharmacists can advise other healthcare professionals to improve rational drug use.
• Participating in studies helps determine the effects of drugs.
• Control over hospital drug manufacturing and procurement ensures high-quality product supply.

Outpatient Services

• Pharmacists supply the correct drug, dose, and patient.
• Clarifications are provided regarding drug information, dosage, polypharmacy, and interactions.
• Substitution options are available.
• Patient counseling is crucial.
• Communication with patients and staff is important.
• Staff supervision plays a significant role.
• Systems are in place for appointment-based drug dispensing (e.g., SMART).
• Some facilities offer mail-order services (e.g., UMP1Malaysia).

Inpatient Services

• Ward and satellite pharmacies provide services.
• Discharge counseling guides patients with pharmaceutical information and prescriptions.
• Unit dose dispensing is a common method for patients.
• Unit of use dispensing is utilized.
• Monitoring of drug usage of potentially dangerous medications.

Prescription

• Prescriptions are provided to dispense medication, recorded with patient information (e.g. name, date of birth, ID number).
• Information such as prescription date, doctor name and contact details, drug name and dosages, are recorded on the prescriptions.
• Examples of medications presented on the prescription document include Prednisolone, T.CTZ and Adalat.

Manufacturing in Hospitals

• Hospital pharmacies are typically not built for drug manufacturing.
• Compliance with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) is essential.
• Contamination risks are present.
• "Extemporaneous" drug preparation is common and a crucial skill.
• Availability of products and the amount of resources for their creation are limited in some hospital settings.

Clinical Pharmacy Services

• Pharmacists participate in "rounds" with doctors (sometimes independently).
• Essential knowledge of medicines and patient conditions is crucial.
• Confidence and expertise in their skillset are required.
• Medication reviews are part of the process.
• Identification of medication-related illnesses within various patient groups (e.g., ICU, pediatrics, geriatrics, nephrology, surgical wards).

Total Parenteral Nutrition

• Services for patients unable to eat provide intravenous solutions containing fats, amino acids, sugar, electrolytes, and trace elements.
• Careful preparation of nutrient mixtures is crucial.
• Food's suitability as a microbial growth medium is considered.
• Aseptic technique is vital in the preparation process.
• Knowledge of the calorific value of foods is also essential.

IV Admixture and Cytotoxic Drug Reconstitution

• Very toxic drugs require careful reconstitution.
• Administration staff protection measures are necessary.
• Risk of contamination control is critical.
• Special facilities are required for the safety of staff during preparation.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Services

• Blood drug level monitoring is critical.
• The process is essential for drugs with a narrow therapeutic index.
• Specialized equipment is needed.
• The pharmacy department or lab performs tests.
• Pharmacists analyze data.

Blood Concentration

• Blood concentrations demonstrate the minimum effective concentration (MEC).
• Measurement of Cmax is important (peak drug concentration).
• Measurement of Cmin is often important (minimum drug concentration).

Drug Information Services

• Pharmacists answer drug-related questions.
• Reports and drug bulletins are prepared.
• The hospital formulary is prepared.

Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic (MTAC)

• Improve treatment compliance.
• Aim for better patient outcomes.
• Identify medication-related issues in patients.
• The clinic is aligned with pharmaceutical care concepts, for conditions such as diabetes, warfarin, asthma, etc.

Hospital Administration

• Budget preparation for medications.
• Purchasing for the hospital.
• Staff supervision.
• Hospital drugs and therapeutics committee involvement.
• Dealing with complaints from internal and external sources.