The Pharmacy offers the following services:
Clinical Pharmacy Services
1. Provision
of pharmaceutical care to inpatients at VA. Elements of
pharmaceutical care provision include:
a.
Medication history taking
b.
Allergy history clarification
c.
Assessment of appropriateness of drug therapy
d.
Responsibility for optimization of drug therapy through direct
interaction with patients and
other caregivers (e.g. Nurses, Physicians, other disciplines)
e.
Monitoring for efficacy and toxicity of drug therapy. Clinical
pharmacists have been authorized to order serum concentrations of
all measurable drugs including (but not limited to) aminoglycosides
(with serum creatinine), carbamazepine, cyclosporine, digoxin,
lithium, phenobarbital, phenytoin (with serum albumin), tacrolimus,
theophylline, valproic acid, and vancomycin (with serum creatinine).
f. Discharge
medication teaching and coordination to ensure proper medication use
following
discharge.
2.
Attendance at medical and interdisciplinary
rounds and participation in patient care conferences.
3.
Pharmacokinetic monitoring and consultation on
all drugs where such monitoring is indicated.
4.
Provision of drug information.
5.
Inservice education to all disciplines.
6.
Teaching to undergraduate and post-graduate
students from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Sciences at UBC.
Clinical pharmacists provide comprehensive clinical services from
Monday to Friday, 0800-1600 hours.
Drug - Distribution
The
Pharmacy Department operates a computerized medication system in
which pharmacists receive a faxed copy of a physician’s orders. They
are interpreted and clarified for orders that are incomplete,
illegible, ambiguous or inappropriate.
Using a
computerized drug profile, the pharmacist checks the appropriateness
of the dose, route, drug interactions, drug duplication, allergy
contraindications, and adjustments for renal dysfunction.
Subsequent to these editing, interpretation and monitoring
functions, orders are scheduled and entered into the computer.
Medications are supplied to the units as follows:
VGH:
The Pharmacy provides traditional medication distribution whereby
the majority of medications are dispensed to individual patients as
a seven-day supply (referred to as personal prescriptions) and the
remainder are issued as wardstock. Medications are sent to the unit
via pneumatic tube or messenger service.
UBCH:
The pharmacy provides a unit dose medication distribution system
whereby the majority of medications are dispensed for individual
patients in individual medication cassettes on a 24 or 48- hour
basis and the remainder are issued as wardstock.
Cart exchange times:
Koerner and 3rd Floor Purdy: 1530
hours on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
Detweiller: 1530 hours on Monday, Wednesday,
Friday, Saturday
GFS:
The pharmacy dispenses a 10 days supply of
medication.
-
All scheduled doses are dispensed in one zip-lock bag.
E.g.
For nortriptyline 10mg TID, 30 caps are supplied
in one bag. For atenolol 25mg daily, 5 tabs of atenolol
50mg are supplied.
-
If required, tablets may be split using a pill cutter; the
remaining portion may be saved in the bag for future use.
-
If the dose changes from TID to QID for example, pharmacy will
not send a new supply (continue using from the old supply and
request for additional supply by sending the refill label to
pharmacy).
-
If the tablet strength of a medication changes, pharmacy will
send a new supply.
Wardstock top-up
The
Pharmacy Department maintains a wardstock top-up service to all
nursing units. The stock is replenished on designated days.
On
certain units, this may be managed through Omnicell machines.
Omnicell is an automated dispensing system (ADS), which automates
the distribution, management, and control of medications. The
medications in Omnicell are: narcotic and controlled drugs,
medications that are required “stat”, night cupboard medications,
and wardstock.
Central intravenous admixture service (CIVA)
The
pharmacy provides a total intravenous admixture service. As far as
possible, IVs requiring the addition of medications in a bag are
prepared with appropriate quality control checks in a laminar flow
hood in the IV Compounding Area located within the Main Pharmacy. A
24 hour supply is prepared and sent to the nursing units.
Research
The pharmacy department operates a Clinical Drug Research Program
and conducts independent clinical drug research & publication. For
further information, visit: http://www.vhpharmsci.com/CDR.htm
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