Hospital Pharmacy Professional Responsibility

Hospital Pharmacy

Professional Responsibility

Compiled by Alok Bains

Professional Responsibility of Hospital Pharmacists:

The Pharmacy Council of India notify the followings under Pharmacy Practice Regulation 2015. 

“Hospital Pharmacist” means an individual currently registered with the state pharmacy council and who works in a hospital pharmacy service, primarily within the public/ private sector. They are responsible for ensuring the safe, appropriate and cost-effective use of medicines. Hospital pharmacists use their specialist knowledge to dispense drugs and advise patients about the medicines which have been prescribed. They work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals to devise the most appropriate drug treatment for patients. Some pharmacists are also involved in manufacturing required drug treatments.

The professional responsibilities of hospital pharmacists depend upon the nature of their job. That is, whether he is working as a hospital pharmacist for the in-patient department or OPD department. It is the responsibility of hospital pharmacists to assure all duties have been performed efficiently.

 Profession Responsibility of Hospital Pharmacists.

1. Dispensing.

2. Monitoring Drug Therapy.

3. Collaboration.

4. Patients Counselling,

5. Hospital staff training,

6. Procurement,

7. Various Other Responsibilities.

The professional responsibility of a hospital pharmacy is to ensure the best possible patient care and safe and effective use of medications. This includes several activities of the hospital pharmacists.

1. Dispensing: Primary responsibility of hospital pharmacists is to dispense medicines to both OPD patients and to nurses for in-door patients accurately on the prescription of medical practitioners. There shall be zero errors while dispensing this prescription. They ensure patients are receiving medicines prescribed by medical practitioners. They also make sure of proper storage of the drugs in the hospital.

2. Monitoring Drug Therapy: Pharmacists ensure patients received an appropriate dose of the medicines free from incompatibilities and contraindications. If there is incompatibility or contraindications in the prescription, it is the responsibility of pharmacists to refer back the prescription to the prescriber without harming the reputation.

3. Collaboration: Pharmacists collaborate with staff from other departments of the hospital to ensure patients are receiving optimal care. They assure adequate availability of drugs in the nursing area and control the wastage of drugs.

4. Patient counselling: Patient counselling is one of the most important responsibilities of hospital pharmacists. Pharmacists educate the patients about self-administration, drug interaction, minimising side effects, and maximising therapeutic effects. They answer all questions from the patients patiently.

5. Hospital staff training: Hospital pharmacists shall be responsible to acquire knowledge about all new information and recent advanced medical products. He will educate all staff of the hospital. For this purpose, they arrange continuous education programs and maintain a library, literature and drug information centres in the hospital.

   They are responsible to provide all facilities to the student pharmacists/trainee pharmacists/apprentice pharmacists.

6. Procurement: Pharmacists are responsible to manage hospital medicines inventories. They decide the exact requirements of hospital pharmacies and maintain a minimum level of inventories. select reputed and quality suppliers, check the quality of inventories and reject poor and substandard inventories.

7. Other responsibilities include:

   1. To comply with state government and central government rules and regulations to run hospital pharmacies.

   2. To renew his registration number in-state pharmacy council as per guidelines from the state pharmacy council.

   3. To comply with instructions issued by the drug regulatory authority of the state government and central government.

   4. To take approval from the drug control authority of the state for drugs to be manufactured inside the hospital pharmacy.

   5. To keep updated drug control authority instructions regarding approval of drugs, recall of drugs from the market, indications and warnings to be used, etc.

   6. To visit regularly the medication area and nursing station to assure adequate availability of drugs and to control the wastage of drugs.

Compiled by Alok Bains

Hospital Pharmacy

Professional Responsibility

Alok Bains