Decentralized Impatient Pharmacy Service Study: Chief of Pharmacy Survey.
Abstract
Directors of Pharmacy (N = 35) at Army inpatient facilities were requested to complete survey instruments regarding unit dose services, problems experienced by the pharmacy, and possible solutions to problems expressed. Survey replies were received from 28 inpatient facilities (83%). The results indicate that Inadequate staffing was the most frequently perceived problem affecting the delivery of pharmacy service and Implementation or expansion of clinical pharmacy services, the most frequent recommendation to improve pharmacy services to inpatients. Unit dose medications were dispensed by 22 of 28 pharmacies to one or more departments or services, while nine of these pharmacies reported operating a complete unit dose system. General Medicine, General Surgery, and Orthopedics were services most frequently found to be on unit dose. Ten of the 22 unit dose facilities operate a decentralized service. Overall, more than half of the pharmacies dispensed between 76% and 99% of their medications on a unit dose basis and 16 of 28 pharmacies maintained medication profiles on patients. The present findings support considering (a) more efficient utilization of pharmacy technicians and (b) implementation or expansion of decentralized unit dose services.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA150888
Entities
People
- B. H. Hartley
- T. M. Rauch
Organizations
- Academy of Health Sciences