In hospitals, medications for inpatients are typically dispensed from a central pharmacy or satellite/unit-dose pharmacies, depending on hospital size, patient needs, resources, and institutional policies.
Dispensing of drugs to inpatients involves preparing and providing medications based on physician prescriptions, following these steps:
1. Order Review:
A hospital pharmacist reviews the physician's order to verify dosage appropriateness, potential drug interactions, allergies, and other therapeutic considerations.
2. Preparation and Packaging:
Once verified, the medication is prepared.
This may involve counting tablets, preparing liquids, or compounding medications as required.
3. Labeling:
The medication package is labeled with essential details, including the patient’s name, bed number, drug name, dose, route, frequency, and any special instructions.
4. Delivery:
Prepared medications are delivered to the nursing station or directly to the patient via a distribution system suited to the hospital’s setup.
5. Administration:
Nurses administer the medication, confirming it matches the prescribed order against the patient’s chart before administering.
6. Documentation (Dispensing of drugs to inpatients):
After administration, the nurse records the time and relevant details in the patient’s medical record to ensure accurate tracking.