Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Role and Responsibilities of Pharmacist

Role and Responsibilities of Pharmacist

(I)      Central Pharmacists Responsibilities

 A. Dispensing area
1.    Ensures that established policies and procedures are followed.

2.    Checks for the accuracy of doses prepared
(a)      Intravenous admixtures
(b)     Unit dose

3.    Provides for proper drug control
(a)      Ensures that drugs are stored and dispensed properly (eg. Investigational drugs)
(b)     Ensure that all state and federal drug laws are followed

4.    Ensure that good techniques are used in compounding intravenous admixtures and extemporaneous preparations

5.    Provides for proper record keeping and billing
(a)     Patient-medication records
(b)     Extemporaneous compounding records
(c)     Intravenous admixture records billing
(d)     Investigational-drug records
(e)     Reports (eg. Monthly workload report)

6.    Maintains professional competence, particularly in knowledge of drug stability and incompatibilities.

7.    Ensures that new personnel are trained properly in the policies and procedures of the dispensing area.

8.    Co-ordinates the activities of the area with the available staff to make the best possible use of personnel and resources.

9.    Keeps the dispensing area neat and orderly.

10.    Communicates with all pharmacy staff regarding new development in the area and assists in employee evaluations.

11.    Provides drug information as necessary to the pharmacy, medical and nursing staffs.

12.    Co-ordinates the overall pharmaceutical needs of the patients care areas with the dispensing area (eg. Delivery schedules).

B.   Patient-care area

1.     Supervision of drug administration.
(a)     Reviews and interprets each unit doses and intravenous (IV) admixture medication order to ensure that it is entered accurately into the unit-dose or IV- admixture system.
(b)     Reviews each patients drug administration form periodically to ensure that all doses are being administered and charted correctly.

2.     Reviews all doses missed, reschedule the doses as necessary and signs all drugs not given notices.

3.     Ensures that new drug administration forms are transcribed accurately for continuity of drug therapy and that drug charges are assessed correctly.
(a)     Confirms periodically that administered doses are noted correctly on the patient chart.
(b)     Ensures that records for administered narcotics are kept correctly and that the physician is informed of all automatics stop orders.
(c)     Ensures that proper drug administration techniques are used.
(d)     Acts as liaison between the pharmacist, the nursing and medical staffs.
(e)     Communicates with nurses and physicians concerning medication administration problems.
(f)     Periodically inspects the medication area on the nursing units to ensure that adequate levels of floor stocks drugs and supply are maintained.
(g)     Ensure that order supportive services performed from the dispensing area as required.
(h)     Ensure that the other supportive services performed by the department of pharmacy are carried out correctly.
(i)      Co-ordinate all pharmacy services on the nursing unit level.
(j)      Ensure that the medication area is neat and orderly.
(k)     Ensure that proper security is maintained in the medication area to prevent pilferage.

C.  Direct patient care

Identifies drug brought into the hospital by patients.

Obtain patient medication histories and communicates all pertinent information to the physician.

1.    Assists in drug-product and entity selection.

2.    Assists the physician in selecting dosage regimens and schedules and then assigns drug administration times for these schedules (pharmacokinetic service).

3.    Monitors patient s’ total drug therapy for-
(a)     Effectiveness/ ineffectiveness
(b)     Side-effects
(c)     Toxicities
(d)     Allergic drug reactions
(e)     Drug interaction
(f)  Appropriate therapeutic outcomes


4.    Counsels patients on
(a)     medication to be self administered in the hospital
(b)     Discharge medications

5.    Participates in cardiopulmonary emergencies by
(a)     Procuring and preparing the drug required.
(b)     Charting all medications given.
(c)     Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary.

D. General responsibilities

1.    Provides education to
(a)     Pharmacists, pharmacy externs, clerks, students, residents and other students.
(b)     Nurses and nursing students.
(c)     Physicians and medical students.

2.    Provides drug information to physicians, nurses and other health-care personnel.

(II)    Ambulatory Pharmacists Responsibilities

 A. Dispensing area

1.    Ensure that established policies and procedures are followed

2.    Checks for the accuracy in the work of supportive personnel

3.    Ensure that proper techniques are used in extemporaneous compounding

4.    Maintenance of adequate record keeping and billing
(a)     Patient medication records
(b)     Investigational drug records
(c)     Outpatients billing
(d)     Reports
(e)     Prescription files

5.    Maintains professional competence

6.    Ensure that new personnel are trained properly in the policies and procedures of the ambulatory pharmacy.

7.    Co-ordinate the activities of the area with available staff to make the best use of personnel and resources.

8.    Keeps the ambulatory pharmacy area neat and orderly at all times.


B.  Patient care area

1.    Inspects the medication areas in the nursing unit periodically to ensure an adequate supply of stock drugs and their proper storage.

2.    Identifies the drugs brought into the clinic by patients.

3.    Obtains patients medication histories and communicates pertinent information to the physician.

4.    Assists in drug-product entity selection.

5.    Assists the physician in selecting dosage regimens and schedules.

6.    Monitors the patients total drug therapy for:
(a)     Effectiveness
(b)     Side-effects
(c)     Toxicities
(d)     Allergic drug reactions
(e)     Drug interactions
(f)     Appropriate patient outcomes

7.    Counsels patients on the proper use of their medications.

8.    Prepare medications for intravenous administration.

9.    Provides medication and/or supply for patient home care.

C.  General responsibilities

1.    Provides drug information necessary to pharmacy, medicals and nursing staffs.

2.    Co-ordinates overall pharmaceutical needs of the ambulatory service area.

3.    Provides adequate drug controls
(a) Ensures that the drugs are handled properly (eg. Investigational-drug storage).
(b)  Ensures that all state and federal laws are followed

4.    Maintains professional competence in area.

5.    Participates in cardiopulmonary emergencies by
(a)  Procuring and preparing the drug required.
(b)  Charting all medications given.
(c)  Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary.

6.    Provides in-service education to
(a)     Pharmacists, pharmacy externs, clerks, students, residents and other students.
(b)     Nurses and nursing students.
(c)     Physicians and medical students.

In a small hospital with only one pharmacist it is a challenge to be knowledgeable in all the activities of the hospital pharmacy. In large hospital with a number of pharmacists who specialize in certain areas of practice, each may become expert in one or more fields.

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