National survey of hospital pharmacy facilities: introduction

This paper introduces three articles that report results of a national survey of hospital pharmacy facilities conducted in July 1982. A historical perspective of pharmacists' involvement in facilities planning and examples of internal and external factors influencing the optimal design of hospital pharmacies are presented. The survey aimed to identify and describe existing hospital pharmacy facilities, the adequacy of existing facilities, the anticipated need for facilities, and the processes used for planning facilities. These baseline data can be used in the future as a starting point for developing updated model plans for hospital pharmacies and recommending improvements in the planning process.