Hospital pharmacy management must run like a well-oiled machine. There are many urgent situations that occur in a hospital that require medication to be dispensed in a timely manner. Because of these situations, it is imperative that the steps and guidelines set in place are followed without error. If the pharmacy loses track of any of the medication, it becomes possible for the wrong patient to receive it. It also allows the possibility for narcotic pills to be stolen and illegally traded.
Hospital Pharmacy Management Steps to Success
There are important guidelines put in place by the pharmacy to ensure the proper allocation of the medication. Each position within the pharmacy has a specific job, and each job has a purpose. These guidelines are imperative to the functionality of the pharmacy. Hospital pharmacies have two major functions, preparing and dispensing medication. Some hospital pharmacies are in charge of the inventory and ordering of medication as well.
There are three main positions to pharmacy staff:
* Management
* Professional Staff
* Support Staff
The hospital pharmacy management position usually consists of the chief pharmacist. The chief pharmacist oversees all of the activity in the pharmacy. The professional staff of pharmacists is in charge of the distribution and control of the medication. The professional staff also manages the support staff. The support staff usually consists of pharmacy technicians. The support staff is in charge of clerical duties, and other smaller jobs that the pharmacy management is over qualified for.
Risks of Improper Hospital Pharmacy Management
The risks involved with hospital pharmacy management are immense. Pharmacists are not only in a position to place other patients at risk, they are also at risk themselves. Some of the various risks to the patient or pharmacist involved with pharmacy management include:
* Dispensing the incorrect medication or dosage
* Improper counseling of medication
* Failure to dispense the correct usage instructions
* Personal injury due to hazardous work environment
* Exposure to hazardous chemicals present in certain medication
* Exposure to airborne illness from patients
* Robbery
These risks can be potentially fatal to both the patient and the pharmacist.
The stressful situations hospital pharmacy management staff is under on a daily basis are extreme. This intense amount of stress raises the probability of error. When it comes to the inventory of a hospital pharmacy, there is no room for error. If a specific medication is understocked, it could be fatal for an urgent patient. It is imperative for pharmacists to have all of their focus on the accurate preparation and dispensation of medication to patients, without concern for the lack of inventory. Reliable management of inventory can be found in Quality Inventory Services, and additional stress can be alleviated off of the hospital pharmacy staff.
