The Role of A Hospital Pharmacist: Medicine Management

The role of a hospital pharmacist
A pharmacist’s role in a hospital might appear straightforward. Simply assess the patients in
their care and dispense any drugs that are deemed necessary by the doctors. While the
delivery of medication is a major part of the job, the role extends far beyond this, as they
are seen as a core member of the hospital team, when it comes to delivering patient care.
Hospital pharmacist jobs are unlike community pharmacy, prison pharmacy or primary care
pharmacy jin many ways.
Hospital pharmacists are not unlike pharmacists in other practice settings. Their primary
objective is to ensure that patients experience safe medication use.
Beyond that purpose, however, the role of hospital pharmacists (also known as health-
system or clinical pharmacists) encompasses a broad range of duties with the ultimate goal
of providing quality care during an inpatient stay, ensuring a seamless transition of care,
and reducing the number of medication errors.
Hospital pharmacists consult on diagnosis, examine patient charts, conduct patient

evaluations to recommend a course of treatment, and choose the appropriate dosing of
medications and evaluate their effectiveness.
Medicine Management
➢ A key role in a hospital pharmacist’s job is determining which form of medication
best suits each patient. Each decision must be made in a timely and efficient manner
and requires significant input from doctors, nurses and other healthcare
professionals.
➢ Hospital pharmacists will often monitor the effects of the medications they prescribe
and counsel their patients on the effects of the drugs.
➢ Another aspect of this role is to recommend administration routes and dosages, all of
which are dependent on an individual's needs.
source of information
➢ A hospital pharmacist is often a great source of advice for patients. They can also be
called upon to recommend safe combinations of medicines or solutions to specific
patient problems.
➢ Hospital pharmacists can offer information on potential side effects and check that
medicines are compatible with existing medication. They will often also monitor the
effects of treatments to ensure that they are proving effective, safe and appropriate
to the user.
Monitoring drug charts

➢ As hospital pharmacists are required to work closely with other members of staff,
such as physicians, nurses and dieticians, information must be passed on in a way
that is clear to understand. While this might seem simple, performing hand-overs
between shifts has the potential to make this aspect of the role a little more
complicated.
➢ Luckily, drug charts provide a vital source of information and act as an efficient
method of communication between hospital pharmacists and other members of
medical staff. Hospital pharmacists must monitor these charts and ensure that the
correct medication is being provided to each patient.
➢ Such information may include which form of medication a patient requires, with
options including tablets, injections, ointments or inhalers.
Discharging patients
➢ Discharging patients is another important role. It is the duty of a hospital pharmacist
to keep track of which patients are being discharged and inspect the discharge
summary. This requires the pharmacist to inspect the patient’s drug chart to ensure
that the medication prescribed matches that contained in the discharge summary. It
is then the responsibility of the pharmacist to dispense the correct medication.
Keeping up to date
➢ As with any healthcare job, hospital pharmacists are expected to remain up to date
with all aspects of medicine. This includes their usage and any new developments
that may occur.
➢ To do this, hospital pharmacists must use electronic databases and read research
papers. These provide invaluable data that enables pharmacists to learn more about
new drugs before recommending that they are purchased by the hospital.
➢ Utilising these resources regularly will allow hospital pharmacists to remain an

excellent source of pharmaceutical advice.
Skills
➢ Hospital pharmacists are a valuable commodity. Once fully qualified, a hospital
pharmacist can impart their knowledge of medicine to other members of healthcare
staff. Patients may also benefit from this wisdom, particularly pregnant or
breastfeeding women, or those with chronic conditions affecting their heart, liver or
kidneys.
➢ For cases that offer a greater degree of complexity, hospital pharmacists are required
to use their adept communication skills to gather more information on a patient.
Once these facts have been obtained, they are expected to come to a qualified
decision over the best course of action.
➢ Factors such as medical history, lifestyle, existing medication and beliefs of the
patient, as well as their ability to understand and follow an individual treatment plan,
are all important factors when it comes to dispensing or prescribing medication.
The duties and responsibilities of a hospital

pharmacist :
1. Compounding & dispensing for indoor & outdoor patient department.

2. Manufacture of pharmaceutical. Ex:- Tablet, Capsule, Ointment etc.
3. Preparation & sterilization of inject able medicine.
4. Filling & labeling of medical containers.
5. Proper dispensing of narcotic medicine.
6. Proper maintenance of records of narcotic medicine.
7. Maintains of sufficient stock of antidote for poisoning & emergency medicine.
8. Checking of the quality of the sources of purchase of all medicine, chemicals antibiotics,
biological products & other pharmaceutical preparation.
9. Detailing about medicine to physicians, internees & nurses etc.
10. Maintainers of proper system of all records.
11. Keeping controls over requisition & dispensing of all medicine.
12. Planning & executing the pharmacy & therapeutic committee.
13. Cooperating in the teaching program.
14. Implementation of decision of pharmacy & therapeutic committee.
15. Preparation of periodic report, annual report & budget etc.

TYPES OF PHARMACIST IN HOSPITAL
OT PHARMACIST:-
OT Pharmacy module handles complete Issues & returns related to a patient during surgery
time admitted to OT. It also deals with inter wards stock adjustments/transfers/movements
as required, IP No wise stock indent to central pharmacy. The modules facilitates the
transactions related to Items return to central pharmacy due to any bad conditions or
expired reasons.
IP Issues
IP Returns
IP Indent & Cancellations.
WARD PHARMACIST:-
A hospital pharmacist fills orders for medications as they come in from the staff at the
hospital. This might include formulating the right IV medication dosage for a patient,
dispensing a few pills for a patient or ensuring a patient gets the right dose of
chemotherapy.
ICU PHARMACIST:-
The use of medication to support patients and optimise outcomes is a fundamental strand
of care. Pharmacists provide a key role managing medication within the complexity of
various routes of administration, severe and rapidly shifting pharmacokinetic and dynamic
parameters, and extremes of physiology in critical illness. Pharmacists intercept and resolve
medication errors, optimise medication therapy and undertake broader professional
activities within the job role that contribute to the smooth running of ICU. These activities
are associated with improved quality, reduced mortality and reduced costs.
DISPENSING PHARMACIST:-
Dispensing pharmacists provide general healthcare advice and supply prescription and non-
prescription medication to the public.
Dispensing pharmacists are responsible for dispensing and controlling both prescription and
non-prescription medicine. They also advise customers on general healthcare. Dispensing
pharmacists must work to legal and ethical guidelines.
Role of dispensing pharmacist involves:
➢ Recruiting, training and managing staff.

➢ Processing prescriptions and dispensing medication.
➢ Ordering and selling medicines and other stock.
➢ Meeting medical representatives.
➢ Managing budgets.
➢ Keeping statistical and financial records.
➢ Preparing publicity materials and displays.
➢ Marketing services.
PHARMACIST IN DOCUMENTATION
The purpose of medical documentation goes beyond simply recording patient care so that
medical professionals can monitor and plan the patient's status and care. It reduces the risk
of treatment errors and improves the likelihood of a positive outcome. It also provides a
resource to review cases for opportunities to improve care and offers necessary
information for medical billers.
Major challenges that pharmacists are facing today :

Identity as a pharmacist, lack of cohesiveness and low self-confidence as a profession;
Some say too many pharmacists.
Changes in the way we practice, adoption of technology and workforce issues.
Patient-centred multidisciplinary work.

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The role of a hospital pharmacist

Hospital pharmacists consult on diagnosis, examine patient charts, conduct patient

Monitoring drug charts

➢ Utilising these resources regularly will allow hospital pharmacists to remain an

The duties and responsibilities of a hospital

1. Compounding & dispensing for indoor & outdoor patient department.

3. Preparation & sterilization of inject able medicine.

4. Filling & labeling of medical containers.

5. Proper dispensing of narcotic medicine.

6. Proper maintenance of records of narcotic medicine.

7. Maintains of sufficient stock of antidote for poisoning & emergency medicine.

9. Detailing about medicine to physicians, internees & nurses etc.

10. Maintainers of proper system of all records.

11. Keeping controls over requisition & dispensing of all medicine.

12. Planning & executing the pharmacy & therapeutic committee.

13. Cooperating in the teaching program.

14. Implementation of decision of pharmacy & therapeutic committee.

15. Preparation of periodic report, annual report & budget etc.

Role of dispensing pharmacist involves:

➢ Recruiting, training and managing staff.

Major challenges that pharmacists are facing today :

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