Pharmacy Division
Introduction
The Pharmacy Division provides
services such as the warehousing and dispensing of drugs, the preparation
of injections (including aseptic mixtures), the collection and dissemination
of drug information and the providing patients' guidance for proper use of
drugs. The division's services have improved in response to the hospital's
goal of promoting a higher quality of medical care and practice. A state-of-the-art
computerized system and other pharmacy-related equipment ensure quality control
and inventory management, promote the proper use of drugs, and enhance the
efficiency and quality of our services.
Routine Activities
The hospital's drug inventory
is checked by using the computer system, and the division acts as a secretary
to the in-hospital pharmaceutical affairs committee responsible for the adoption
of drugs.
As part of its fundamental
work, the Pharmacy Division prepares and dispenses oral and topical medicine
and injections for individual patients. We conduct aseptic mixtures of injectable
chemotherapy agents for all outpatients and some inpatients, and we are responsible
for the aseptic preparation of intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH) for inpatients.
The importance of providing
drug information to patients has been widely acknowledged. Division pharmacists
visit inpatients and give advice on taking medicine, focusing especially on
pain control with morphine, and they participate in the palliative care support
team. Outpatient drug consultation concerning guidance in the proper use of
opioids is also given in a "drug consulting room" available to outpatients.
Pharmacists collect, compile,
and maintain a database of drug information and distribute pertinent information
to the medical staff. Drug information is disseminated throughout the hospital
by paper distribution and/or on the in-hospital computer network, quickly
in the case of emergency safety information from the Ministry of Health &
Welfare and in a timely manner in the case of general drug information.
Pharmacists individualize dosage
regimens for specified drugs such as aminoglycosides or vancomycin based on
both measured blood concentrations and pharmacokinetics in order to maximize
the efficacy and minimize adverse reactions.
The inventory control and handling
of new investigative drugs are conducted in the Pharmacy Division and also
monitored by the drug sponsors, in accordance with GCP regulations.
There are educational activities such as providing training
course for university students of pharmacy, participating in multi-institutional
pharmaceutical TV conference.
Research Activities
The pharmacy division is engaged
in the study of improving pain control by gathering opinions and comments
in questionnaires regarding the usefulness of guidance materials provided
by the pharmacy.
Systems and Devices
1. The pharmacy division systems linked to the ordering
system
The physician's order is conducted
through the computerized ordering system. The prescription ordering system
links to the medicine package printing system combined with function of providing
drug information. The medicine package information and also easy-to-understand
explanations and instruction for proper use of drugs such as efficacy and
effectiveness, precaution and guidance, symptoms at the early stage of adverse
reactions are automatically printed out for patients on entry of prescription
ordering.
The injection ordering system
links to the automatic "picking system" device, and this linkage
ensures that injections are set properly and efficiently. And this injection
ordering system contains the additional function ("regimen ordering system
for antineoplastics" which makes it possible to check the dose as well
as the interval of chemotherapy, and this function supports the proper and
smooth ordering operation.
2.
The pharmacy homepage
The pharmacy homepage is established
and updated monthly drug information such as current safety information, newly
adopted drugs, Q&A, recent articles, is available for medical staffs on
the in-hospital computer network.
3. The touch-panel device for providing drug information
to patients
Patients can use the touch-panel device situated at the
pharmacy counter to see or print out drug information at their convenience.
|
Number
of Prescriptions |
|
|
|
|
1999 |
2000 |
|
1)
Oral and topical preparations |
|
|
|
Prepared in hospital pharmacy |
166,570 |
177,503 |
|
Inpatients |
80,878 |
89,901 |
|
Outpatients
|
85,692 |
87,602 |
|
Taken to outside pharmacies |
11,374 |
10,789 |
|
2)
Injections |
|
|
|
Inpatients |
249,036 |
289,570 |
|
Outpatients |
17,889 |
32,438 |
|
Aseptic
Preparation of Injectable Drugs |
||
|
|
1999 |
2000 |
|
IVH preparation |
1,281 |
2,211 |
|
Anticancer Drugs |
10,315 |
15,036 |
|
Others |
7,572 |
12,127 |
|
House
Preparations |
|
|
|
|
1999 |
2000 |
|
Sterilized |
101 |
89 |
|
Nonsterilized |
144 |
162 |
|
Investigational
Drugs |
|
|
|
|
1999 |
2000 |
|
Newly registered |
24 |
19 |
|
Ongoing study |
39 |
33 |
(K. INARI)
