UW Health inpatient pharmacists collaborate with all members of the health care team, patients and their caregivers to provide patient care services. Pharmacy technicians, pharmacist assistants and pharmacy students assist in the delivery of pharmaceutical care under the direct supervision of a pharmacist.
UW Health is a nationally recognized leader in the provision of high-quality, patient-centered inpatient pharmacy services. Areas of national preeminence include patient safety, innovative use of technology and automation, drug use policy, and training future leaders for the profession of pharmacy.
UW Health has been named the top hospital in Wisconsin by U.S News & World Report magazine for the last 10 years. In addition, UW Health is home of the UW Carbone Cancer Center, one of 41 federally designated centers for cancer treatment and research, and has one of the largest organ transplant programs in the nation. The department's drug distribution system is heavily supported, using automation and innovative robotic and point-of-care technology, which is supported by a fully integrated information system and network.
Pharmacy inpatient services process
Upon admission, each patient's medical record is reviewed and the patient is interviewed by a pharmacist to obtain an accurate admission medication history. This facilitates the pharmacist's ability to document current medications, document compliance, ascertain what the patient took on the day of admission, understand the past medical history and history of present illness, review all allergies, identify adverse drug reactions and be involved with caring for issues such as alcohol, tobacco use and immunization status.
All new medication orders are reviewed for appropriateness by a pharmacist to determine and eliminate any medication therapy problems.
Pharmaceutical needs of the patient are reassessed as needed or as the patient's condition changes.
Pharmacists prescribe drug therapy regimens as authorized by hospital protocols, including ordering of tests and laboratory values to monitor drug therapy for appropriateness.
Patient progress and medication recommendations are communicated to the primary provider and documented in the electronic medical record.
Pharmacists play a key role in discharge plans for patients with discharge medications, including educating patients and/or caregivers, facilitating continuity of care, assisting with reimbursement issues, providing medication adherence aids and documenting all activities in the medical record.
Pharmacists control the drug distribution systems to ensure that the right medication and the right dose is administered via the right route to the right patient at the right time, as well as maintain the safety of the medication use system.
Pharmacists assist in the development, implementation and maintenance of decision support software systems aimed at decreasing costs and improving the quality of care.
Pharmacists help to educate future caregivers by precepting pharmacy students and pharmacy residents and are involved with continuing education by providing inservices
Pharmacy staff coordinates the storage, preparation and distribution of all medications, including sterile products, and ensure full compliance with national standards of practice
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Pharmacy staff members monitor medication shortages, and when necessary, work with physicians to determine appropriate alternative therapies.
The pharmacy department periodically conducts patient and internal customer satisfaction surveys to determine customer expectations and to identify performance improvement initiatives. The results of those surveys are used to improve pharmacy services by aligning services to patient needs and expectations.