Ch. 11 - Hospital Pharmacy Dispensing Key Terms

Admitting Order - a medication order written by a physician on admission of a patient to the hospital; may or may not include a medication order

automated medication dispensing system (AMDS) - a secure, locked storage cabinet of designated drugs on a nursing unit whose software can track the dispensing and administration of each dose of medication to each patient

Cart fill list - a printout of all unit dose profiles for all patients

Director of Pharmacy - the chief executive officer of the pharmacy department

discharge order - A doctors' order that states that the patient may leave the hospital. A doctors' order is necessary for a patient to be discharged from the hospital

drug formulary - a list of provider-preferred generic and brand-name drugs covered under various insurance plans

Electronic Health Record (EHR) - a computerized lifelong health care record for an individual that incorporates data from providers who treat the individual

eMAR - electronic medication administration record

floor stock - medications stocked in a secured area on each patient care unit

home infusion pharmacy - A specialty pharmacy set up particularly to serve home

healthcare dispensing.

Home Medications - a patient's medication brought from home to continue use while in hospital

Institutional Review Board (IRB) - a committee of the hospital that ensures that appropriate protection is provided to patients using investigational drugs

intake record - Documentation by the nurse upon admission to the hospital

IV admixture - compounded sterile preparation prepared by adding medication to an IV bag

Investigational drug - A drug that has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing but is in clinical trials; also, an FDA-approved drug seeking a new indication for use

The Joint Commission - a nonprofit that was created to ensure that patients receive the safest, highest quality care in any health care setting.

medical chart - legal record of all medical care a patient, resident, or client receives

Medication order - A prescription written for administration in a hospital or institutional setting

Nonformulary drug - A drug not included on the hospitals drug formulary

par levels - A minimum quantity to be maintained in inventory.

Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee - a committee of the hospital that reviews, approves, and revises the hospital's formulary of drugs and maintains the drug use policies of the hospital

Pick station - an area of the inpatient pharmacy that houses frequently prescribed formulary drugs in commercially available unit dose packaging, thus allowing efficient medication cart filling

policy and procedures manual - an online or written, step by step set of instructions for pharmacist and technicians alike on all operations within the pharmacy department

Quality Assurance (QA) - An assessment of quality based on standards external to

the process and involves reviewing of the activities and

STAT order - single order carried out immediately

Tech Check Tech - a senior pharmacy technician checks another pharmacy technician's work to add another layer of verification of medication order prior to drug administration.

total parenteral nutrition (TPN) -  an IV infusion therapy treatment that supplies a patient with all the nutrition needed by the body

unit dose - a package containing the amount of a drug required for one dose

Unit Dose Cart - A mobile cart with a drawer for each patient

Unit Dose Product Label -  Contains product information on drug labels: drug name, dose, strength, manufacturer, expiration date, and barcode