The paramount responsibility of hospital pharmacists is to optimise drug use to significantly improve the quality of life of the patient and reduce the global burden of disease, Pharm. (Mrs) Margaret Obono, director of pharmacy and head of pharmacy department, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi has said.
Obono, a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists, said this while delivering her keynote speech at the scientific seminar organised by the pharmacy department of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, to mark this year’s World Pharmacy Day.
Pharm. (Mrs) Obono who was the winner of the 10th edition of the prestigious May & Baker Professional Service Award in Pharmacy and winner of the maiden edition of Pfizer Award for Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists, disclosed that the predominant role of hospital pharmacists is to enhance patients’ outcomes through
collaborative, inter-professional and responsible use of medicines and medical devices.
In her words: “Hospital pharmacists should serve as a resource regarding all aspects of medicines use and be accessible as a point of contact for both patients and health care providers, and all prescriptions should be reviewed, interpreted, and validated by a hospital pharmacist prior to the medicine being dispensed and administered.”
Speaking further, she urged hospital pharmacists to monitor patients taking medicines to assure patient’s safety, appropriate medicine use, and optimal outcomes for inpatients and outpatients, adding that in a situation where resource limitations do not permit a pharmacist to monitor all patients taking medicines, patient-selection criteria should be established to guide pharmacist monitoring.
“Hospital pharmacists should actively engage in research into new methods and systems to improve the use of medicines and of human resource needs in hospital pharmacy. They must ensure proper storage to maintain the integrity of medicines across the supply chain to ensure quality, safety and security,” she said.
The respected pharmacist further advised hospital pharmacists to be involved in the complex process of procurement of medicines and health products, saying procurement should not occur in isolation but must be guided by the formulary selection process and must be supported by a reliable information system to provide accurate, timely and accessible information.
In an earlier address, chairman of the seminar planning committee, Pharm. (Mrs) Omolara Ebitigha, noted that the event was organised to sensitise hospital pharmacists on the theme of this year’s World Pharmacy Day (“Pharmacists: Caring For You”) adding that the theme was chosen to reflect the important role of pharmacists in providing care to the public, as well as highlighting the emotional connection that pharmacists have with their patients.
“As pharmacists, we were taught that the role of pharmacists has evolved from that of a provider of medicines to that of a provider of care, to establish and maintain therapeutic relationship with the patient. In this relationship, the pharmacist holds the patient’s welfare paramount, maintains an appropriate attitude of caring and uses all his professional knowledge and skills to optimise patient’s outcome,” she said.
Personalities at the event included: Pharm. Olugbenga Olubowale, chairman, PSN, Lagos; Chairman, Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacy (AHAPN), Lagos Chapter, Pharm. (Mrs) Sade Ikotun; Director of Pharmacy, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Pharm. (Mrs) Olawumi Peters; Assistant Director of Pharmacy, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Pharm. Modupe Oyawole; and former chairman, Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists, Lagos State Chapter, Pharm Adefolake Adeniyi.
