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Good Pharmacy Practice

Hospital Pharmacy: Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) in Hospital

HOSPITAL PHARMACY

Alok Bains

4/6/20232 min read

Hospital Pharmacy

Complied by Alok Bains

Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) in Hospital

"Ensuring optimal patient safety, effective and appropriate medication and quick response to the need by the pharmacists in a hospital is good pharmacy practice in the hospital". These are governed by a set of standards, guidelines and ethical principles that govern pharmacy services in the hospital.

Mission: Good pharmacy practices in the hospital are to improve the health of patients through the best use of medicines. There are six components to achieve this mission:

  1. Availability of pharmacist to the patient with or without an appointment;

  2. Identification and management of health-related problems;

  3. Health promotion of the patients;

  4. Assuring the effectiveness of medicines;

  5. Preventing harm from medicines; and

  6. Making responsible use of limited healthcare resources.

Requirements of good pharmacy practice:

  1. The welfare of patients with ethics,

  2. Promotion of rational and economical medicines and healthcare products,

  3. The provision of appropriate information and advice to the patient, administration of medication and the monitoring of the effects of medication use.

  4. A good relationship with other health professionals, particularly physicians and nurses,

  5. A good relationship among pharmacists without the feeling of competition,

  6. Active participation of each staff of the hospital pharmacy to improve the quality,

  7. Awareness of essential medicines,

  8. All information about healthcare products in use and hazards caused by the disposal of medicines’ waste,

  9. Ensures the competence of pharmacy staff through continuing professional development, continuing education (CE)) programmes;

  10. Personal responsibility and self-monitoring for continuous professional development;

  11. Ensures the integrity of the supply chain and the quality of medicines.

  12. Specifies standards of GPP and adherence by practitioners.

The pharmacy council of India states to observe the following to maintain good pharmacy practices in the hospitals.

  1. Membership in Association:

    • The registered pharmacists shall join associations and societies of allopathic pharmacy professions.  They involve actively in the functioning of such bodies. 

    • They participate in professional meetings as part of continuing Pharmacy Education organized by reputed professional academic bodies or any other authorized associations/organisations. They will inform regularly the Pharmacy Council of India OR the State Pharmacy Councils regarding their activities and continuing education.

  2. Maintenance of patient records:

    • Every registered pharmacist shall maintain the prescription records for a period of 5 years.

    • Provide these records to the patients/authorised attendant or legal authorities on demand within 72 hours.

    • Efforts shall be made to computerize prescription records.

  3. Highest Quality Assurance in patient care: Registered pharmacists shall safeguard the profession against a person deficient in moral character or education. The registered pharmacist shall not allow any person not registered with the state pharmacy council.

  4. Exposure of Unethical Conduct: A registered pharmacist should expose incompetent, corrupt, dishonest or unethical conduct of members of the profession.

  5. Payment of Professional Services: The personal financial interests of a registered pharmacist shall not conflict with the medical interests of patients. A registered pharmacist shall announce his fees before rendering service and not after.

  6. The remuneration received shall be in the currency. It is unethical to enter into a contract of "no cure no payment". Registered pharmacists rendering service on behalf of the state or central government shall not accept any remuneration from the patients.

  7. Application of other laws not barred: The registered pharmacists shall obey the laws of the country in regulating the pharmacy practice in the hospital. They shall also assist others to obey laws. Some laws and acts are directly linked with the pharmacy practice such as sanitary laws, the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940; Indian Medical Council Act, 1956; Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985; Drugs and Magic Remedies, (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954. etc.

Complied by Alok Bains

Good Pharmacy Practices (GPP) in

Hospital