Pharmacy Services is a hospital pharmacy that serves patients who have been admitted to the hospital, patients who are in a clinic, patients in the emergency department and outpatients who use very specialized drugs.
At KHSC pharmacists are involved in your care in a number of different ways, including:
- Obtaining your medication history when you are admitted to the hospital
- Reviewing all of the medications that have been ordered for you to ensure they are accurate and and safe
- Providing you with information for new medications that you started taking in the hospital
- Monitoring the level of the medications in your blood to make you are are receiving the proper doses
- Working to ensure best use of antibiotics in the hospital
- Supporting the hospital drug formulary
- Developing procedures and guidelines for the safe use of drugs
Medication delivery at KHSC
In the hospital, all medications are procured and distributed by the hospital pharmacy. On the patient care units, the medications are stored in the medication rooms in automated dispensing cabinets that look much like a vending machine. Nurses are able to check the computer for what medications you have been ordered by the doctor and take out the drugs that need to be given. Pharmacy technicians restock these cabinets daily.
Prescription verification
All medication orders are sent down to the pharmacy where a pharmacist will review the medication for safety and appropriateness. These medications are then entered into the computer by the pharmacy technician and will become accessible by the nurses on the floor. The nurses also check the order to the Medication Admission Record and the actual medication to make sure you get the right medication at the right time.
Pharmacy informatics
Pharmacy informatics is an applied information science which is defined as the use and integration of data, information, knowledge, technology, and automation in the medication-use process for the purpose of improving health outcomes. Pharmacy informatics focuses on applying technology to support, streamline and improve workflow and patient safety in the pharmacy. These specialists work with information systems to help pharmacists make informed decisions for their patients.
Investigational drug service
We provide an Investigational Drug Service (IDS), which oversees the operations of the Special Access Programme (SAP) and the management of clinical drug trials. Drugs available through the Special Access Programme (SAP) are drugs that have not been approved for sale in Canada. Authorization to use non-marketed drugs in Canada outside of an approved clinical drug study must be obtained from the SAP of the Therapeutic Products Directorate, Health Canada. The IDS helps physicians obtain, store and dispense these SAP medications to patients in our community. Clinical drug trial research is facilitated through the IDS when investigational or previously approved drugs are used in a clinical research setting. Research protocols are reviewed, blinding and randomization protocols are followed, and investigational drugs are received, stored, and prepared for research purposes within the hospital.
