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 .
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, Labour and Welfare and in a timely manner in the case of general drug information. Pharmacists individualize dosage regimens for specified drugs such as aminoglycosides or vanco-mycin 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 effective-ness Cprecaution and guidance Csymptoms 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 anti-neoplastics) 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. During information such as current safety information, newly adopted drugs, Q&A, and recent articles are 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.

K. INARI

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