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Hospital Pharmacy
J OURNAL OF THE AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION
Hospital Accreditation and the Pharmacy The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, wit h representatives fr0I!1 the American College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons, American H ospital Association, American Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association, is now responsible for the Standardization Program formerly handled by the American College of Surgeons. Surveys are made of the hospitals throughout the nation and, according to a recent report, 2,920 hospitals had been fully accredited by December 31, 1953. Numerous questions have come to our Division of H ospital Pharmacy regarding the status of the P harmacy Department in the accreditation of hospitals. The "Minimum Standard for Pharmacies in H ospitals" along with the Point-Rating Plan serves as a guide for individual evaluation of hospital pharmacy services. Although ,a specific number of points has been allotted to each department in the hospital, pharmacists do not always know the factors which may be considered when their institution is surveyed for accreditation by the Joint Commission. Since a significant part of the accreditation program covers the Pharmacy, the following questions have been outlined in Part II of the June issue of Hospitals by Dr. Jose Gonzalez, field representative of the A.H.A.: ' 1. Is the pharmacy service under the direction of a pharmacist licensed by the state? 2. Is the pharmacist directly responsible to the administrator? 3. Is there a pharmacy or therapeutic committee of the medical staff? 4. Has a formulary been developed to standardized accepted drugs for use in the hospital, to choose items to be stocked, to evaluate clinical data concerning drugs requested for use in the hospital, to prevent unnecessary duplication in the stock of the same basic drugs and their preparations, and to recommend stock items for distribution in the nursing units? 5. Are there adequate internal pharmacy records maintained on all item~ purchased by the hospital?
498
6. Are all drugs for nursing units standa~dized as per recommendation of the pharmacy committee of the medical staff and the nursing staff? 7. Is there access to the pharmacy after working hours, and how is it controlled? What personnel have access to it? 8. Is there an efficient system of distribution of di-ugs to avoid unnecessary traveling to and from the pharmacy? 9. Are all drugs dispensed only on a written order signed by the prescribing physician? 10. Is the pharmacy provided with adequate storage facilities to meet federal and local regulations on alcohol, narcotics, flammables and biologicals? 11. Are narcotics properly accounted for and stored in adequate safe drawers or cabinets? 12. Are narcotics stored on nursing units in nonremovable metal strong boxes? 13. Are there any regulations concerning the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, cortisone, and ACTH? 14. Is there a check on the amount and distribution of barbiturates issued to the nursing units? 15. Are only U. S. P., N. F., N. N. R., and A. D. R. preparations used? 16. Is there an eviden e of excessive us of proprietary medication?
California Workshop The Association of Western Hospitals in cooperation with the Northern California Society of Hospital Pharmacists sponsored a two-day workshop in San Francisco, Calif., on July 17 and 18. Designed to cover specific phases of hospital pharmacy practice, the workshop offered a new approach for this type meeting. During th first day, lectures were presented by leading authorities on the following subjects- Inventory and Purchase Control, Human Relationship in the Hospital, Your Responsibility as a Department Head, Hospital Organization, and Staff Relations. On the following day the group wa divided into six workshops with each assigned one of the subjects discussed the previous day. Later in the day the group chairmen reported to those attending the workshop and made up the panel for an open discussion.
Vol. XV, No.8
Hospital Accreditation and the Pharmacy The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, wit h representatives fr0I!1 the American College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons, American H ospital Association, American Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association, is now responsible for the Standardization Program formerly handled by the American College of Surgeons. Surveys are made of the hospitals throughout the nation and, according to a recent report, 2,920 hospitals had been fully accredited by December 31, 1953. Numerous questions have come to our Division of H ospital Pharmacy regarding the status of the P harmacy Department in the accreditation of hospitals. The "Minimum Standard for Pharmacies in H ospitals" along with the Point-Rating Plan serves as a guide for individual evaluation of hospital pharmacy services. Although ,a specific number of points has been allotted to each department in the hospital, pharmacists do not always know the factors which may be considered when their institution is surveyed for accreditation by the Joint Commission. Since a significant part of the accreditation program covers the Pharmacy, the following questions have been outlined in Part II of the June issue of Hospitals by Dr. Jose Gonzalez, field representative of the A.H.A.: ' 1. Is the pharmacy service under the direction of a pharmacist licensed by the state? 2. Is the pharmacist directly responsible to the administrator? 3. Is there a pharmacy or therapeutic committee of the medical staff? 4. Has a formulary been developed to standardized accepted drugs for use in the hospital, to choose items to be stocked, to evaluate clinical data concerning drugs requested for use in the hospital, to prevent unnecessary duplication in the stock of the same basic drugs and their preparations, and to recommend stock items for distribution in the nursing units? 5. Are there adequate internal pharmacy records maintained on all item~ purchased by the hospital?
498
6. Are all drugs for nursing units standa~dized as per recommendation of the pharmacy committee of the medical staff and the nursing staff? 7. Is there access to the pharmacy after working hours, and how is it controlled? What personnel have access to it? 8. Is there an efficient system of distribution of di-ugs to avoid unnecessary traveling to and from the pharmacy? 9. Are all drugs dispensed only on a written order signed by the prescribing physician? 10. Is the pharmacy provided with adequate storage facilities to meet federal and local regulations on alcohol, narcotics, flammables and biologicals? 11. Are narcotics properly accounted for and stored in adequate safe drawers or cabinets? 12. Are narcotics stored on nursing units in nonremovable metal strong boxes? 13. Are there any regulations concerning the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, cortisone, and ACTH? 14. Is there a check on the amount and distribution of barbiturates issued to the nursing units? 15. Are only U. S. P., N. F., N. N. R., and A. D. R. preparations used? 16. Is there an eviden e of excessive us of proprietary medication?
California Workshop The Association of Western Hospitals in cooperation with the Northern California Society of Hospital Pharmacists sponsored a two-day workshop in San Francisco, Calif., on July 17 and 18. Designed to cover specific phases of hospital pharmacy practice, the workshop offered a new approach for this type meeting. During th first day, lectures were presented by leading authorities on the following subjects- Inventory and Purchase Control, Human Relationship in the Hospital, Your Responsibility as a Department Head, Hospital Organization, and Staff Relations. On the following day the group wa divided into six workshops with each assigned one of the subjects discussed the previous day. Later in the day the group chairmen reported to those attending the workshop and made up the panel for an open discussion.
Vol. XV, No.8