Summary

The Pharmacy Department prides itself in providing state of the art pharmaceutical services to various consumers, including in-patient, ambulatory care patients and health care providers as integrated part of patient care program within KKESH Mission. All pharmacy staff coordinated and integrated with other caregiver’s effect improved patient outcomes by cost effective medication distribution, by preventing or detecting and resolving drug related problems, and utilizing state-of-the-art automation technology, with highly educated and trained staff.  The KKESH Pharmacy provides the highest possible standard of services under the guidance of established KKESH policy and procedure and within the laws, rules and regulations of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health.

Scope

Pharmaceutical care is an essential element of healthcare and is provided to all patient age groups.  Pharmaceutical care is defined as the responsible provision of drug therapy and other medication/health related services for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life.  These outcomes include:  1) cure of disease, 2) elimination or reduction of symptoms, 3) arresting or slowing of a disease process and 4) disease prevention.

Mission

The mission statement of the Pharmacy Department is to provide optimal pharmaceutical services to patients requiring drug therapy, to encourage continuous improvement in the quality of Pharmaceutical care, functioning as an element of an integrated multidisciplinary health care team and to undertake education and studies in relation to the quality use of medicines.

Services/Functions

The Pharmacy’s services are organized to allow for the provision of drug therapy and other health related services to meet the needs of our specific patient population.

The Pharmacy Department consists of:

• Inpatient Pharmacy: Responsible for covering all inpatient units to all hospital floors according ASHP and JCI standards.
• Outpatient Pharmacy: Dispense, prepares and compounds prescriptions to all ambulatory care patients.
• IV Admixture Pharmacy: It is responsible for compounding sterile products (CSPs) including ophthalmic and various extemporaneous preparations and intravenous antibiotics.
• Discharge Pharmacy: Dispense, and provide the patients with medications needed after discharge to complete their therapy(s), or to cover the time period until the next clinic appointment. In addition, the pharmacy has a medication delivery mail services for out of town patients through a reputable and reliable carrier.
• Refill Clinic: Clinics provide cost-effective and high-quality pharmaceutical care to patients who require refills on their medications. Participation in patient education programs and patient counseling.

In addition, the Pharmacy Department includes clinical services provides the followings:

• Medication Utilization Review: To enhance the benefits of drug therapy by detecting and correcting deficiencies in the drug use process to ensure safe, rational, and cost-effective drug therapy.
• Medication Safety and Quality Service: To provide the information about the current extent of medication errors in our healthcare systems, to examine where errors arise in the drug use system and the strategies to prevent Medication Errors on both a personal and a systems’ level, thereby enhancing patient care. Quality service is to design quality assurance programs that produce information required to identify problems and allow for appropriate changes.
• Pharmaceutical preparation services for intravenous admixtures and extemporaneous and aseptic preparations compounding: Repackaging of drugs from the manufacturer’s bulk containers into single unit packages in any quantity ready for dispensing to patients.
• Training program and educational activities: Comprehensive training program that it covers wide spectrum of pharmacy operation such as outpatient dispensing, unit dose distribution system, and IV admixture services.
• Drug Information Center (DIC) & Investigational and Non-Formulary Drug Service (INFDS): A reliable source of information (general and ophthalmic specialty) for healthcare providers and patients at KKESH. DIC responds to requests from all patients and health care workers as well as from local drug authorities and other hospitals in the Kingdom and Gulf region.
• Participation in research projects that require pharmaceutical services: Clinical pharmacist will be involved and participate in research projects related to medication use. 

Standards/Practice Guidelines

Pharmaceutical care is delivered based on standards of practice and evidence base in current medical literature and with guidance from the following sources:

• Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee
• Saudi Food and Drug Authority
• International society FDA, EMc, TGA, etc
• American Society of Health System Pharmacists
• JCIA Recommendations
• Established medical and pharmaceutical literature

Staffing

Pharmaceutical care is provided by all employees of the Department of Pharmacy Services. Listed below are the components that make up the Pharmaceutical Care Team.

Total of 54 includes:

• 1 Director (Consultant Pharmacist) 
• 1 Clinical Coordinator 
• 3 Pharmacy Supervisors 
• 1 Inventory Control Coordinator 
• 1 Systems Coordinator 
• 1 Quality Improvement Coordinator
• 1 Senior Clinical Pharmacist 
• 4 Pharmacists I 
• 19 Pharmacists II 
• 6 Senior Assistant Pharmacists 
• 7 Assistant Pharmacists 
• 2 Senior Pharmacy Technicians 
• 5 Pharmacy Technician 
• 1 Executive Secretary 

Hours of Operation

• Inpatient Pharmacy: Daily 0700 – 2200 hours
• Outpatient Pharmacy:  Sunday to Thursday 0730 – 1800 hours
• Refill Clinic:  Sunday to Thursday 0730 – 1630 hours
• Discharge Pharmacy:  Sunday to Thursday 0730 – 1630 hours

Note: After Working Hours:

• 1800 - 2200 hours, after the closing of Outpatient Pharmacy, all the prescriptions will be filled in the Inpatient Pharmacy.
• 2200 - 0730 hours, when the Inpatient Pharmacy is closed, a Pharmacist is available on-call for any issue related to medication.

Department Interaction within KKESH

The Pharmacy Department interacts with all other departments in the hospital in order to provide safe efficacious distribution and use of medication.  Members of the Pharmacy Department attend a number of medical staff, administrative and other departmental meetings to work collaboratively with all departments utilizing our services.

Equipment Planning

Pharmacy Automated Medications Dispensing System integrated with the new Health Information System (HIS) which applies to all Nursing staff and Pharmacists and its purpose is to provide safe and accurate provision of medication, secure storage, accurate accountability for narcotic/controlled substances and other drugs in KKESH.