Pharmacy practice in a small pediatric hospital

Pharmaceutical services provided in a 72-bed pediatric hospital are described. One full-time pharmacist, one full-time technician, and a half-time pharmacy assistant staff the pharmacy, which is open 40 hours per week, and a pharmacist is on call when the pharmacy is closed. The technician makes hourly rounds to nursing units to pick up new orders and deliver medications. Unit dose carts are exchanged at 4 p.m. The pharmacy prepares individual doses of i.v. medications that are used Monday through Friday. More than 80% of new orders are filled during pharmacy hours; a night cabinet provides 75% of medications needed when the pharmacy is closed. The pharmacist provides drug information to physicians and nurses and counsels parents of discharged patients. Workload data and logs that reflected calls received and drugs obtained after hours were used to justify expansion of pharmacy hours, which is expected for 1984. Pharmacists in small hospitals must balance distributive, clinical, and administrative demands to provide reliable and consistent service during limited hours of operation.