2020 Volume 21 Issue 2 Pages 106-109
At Nagasaki university hospital, ward pharmacists check the brought-in medicines and the situation of preoperative discontinuation drugs for all hospitalized patients through the interview on the hospitalization day. Ward pharmacists then input the drug information of patients to electronic medical records for uniform management. Patients undergoing operation on Mondays had been hospitalized on Fridays (three days before operation), but since April 2017, they were hospitalized on Sundays (a day before operation) for shortening hospital stay.
There had been concerns about safety problems because ward pharmacists were not able to interview patients hospitalized on Sundays, and we began a pharmacist outpatient care to check brought-in medicine (POCBM) for patients who scheduled for hospitalization from May 2017. POCBM enabled medical professionals to refer the drug information of patients by using electronic medical records even when pharmacists are absence. Also, if the patients scheduled for operation were taking preoperative discontinuation drugs incorrectly, ward pharmacists would conduct the cessation of preoperative discontinuation drugs as needed after the referral to attending doctors. These approaches enable pharmacists to confirm the preoperative discontinuation drugs which doctors are unaware of and are effective to avoid postponement or cancellation of the operation.
POCBM began with patients whom doctors requested for patients hospitalized on Sunday. In medical fee revision FY 2018, medical service fees related to checking brought-in medicine for patients scheduled for hospitalization was introduced. The importance of checking brought-in medicine for patients scheduled for hospitalization was recognized. “A pharmacist outpatient care to check brought-in medicine for patients scheduled for hospitalization” is expected to be implemented on more patients who are scheduled for hospitalization. Thus, we are planning to expand the target patients.
