The pharmacy department at Amman Hospital overseas all aspect of the medication use system at the hospital which include the selection, procurement, and dispensing of all medicinal product to patients .the department integrate the financial variables related to drug costs and availability, with clinical practice and evidence based medicine to produce a highly cost effective and profitable operation for Amman hospital. High quality service ensured by:
- Closed formulary –Amman hospital drug formulary Drug formulary allows for uniform processes for selection, usage and monitoring of drugs used at the hospital thereby adding to efficiency and patient safety. As new drug become available, the selection of drugs on the formulary change in an ongoing effort to supply doctors with the drugs they require to meet the therapeutic needs of patients. The formulary has a major impact on safety and cost reduction.
- Clinical pharmacists Improve patient care outcomes by providing education for patients and staff, reducing medication errors.
- Active pharmacy and therapeutics committee.
- Expanded inpatient and outpatient services.
Drug shortages addressed:Amman hospital has built a system to ensure a constant supply of drugs for its patients. It has done so through better purchasing, storage and inventory controls. Some steps taken include:
- Implementation of effective controls over drug storage, distribution and tracking within the hospital.
- Negotiation of contracts and partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.
- Maintenance of perpetual inventory with periodic/random stock counts.
- Implementation of the Unit dose system as a cost effective mode of distribution for inpatient medication.
Patient and staff safety addressed:
- Occupational exposure to cytotoxic drugs reduced through use of proper equipment and techniques.
- Chemotherapy agents prepared under aseptic conditions.
- Safe and accurate packaging and labeling of chemotherapy drugs.
- All outpatient prescriptions screened and verified by a pharmacist to limit harmful drug interactions.
- Medication profiles for inpatients and outpatients maintained.
The newly established pharmacy and therapeutics committee sets all pharmacy policies and procedures for the hospital.