The Pharmacy Department at St. Joseph’s Hospital provides medications for all hospital inpatients, the dialysis unit, and the Emergency room. As part of their daily workload, pharmacists process orders from physicians and double check them for any potential drug therapy problems. Pharmacists are present during physician rounds with patients to assist with medication management. The Pharmacy Department fields drug information questions for patients and health care workers within the hospital and health region on any drug related topics. Management of anticoagulation for inpatients on warfarin is provided by the pharmacists through a transfer of function with the physicians. Other therapeutic drug monitoring, for select antibiotics and some pain management, is often performed by the pharmacy department so that physicians can order the most effective dosing.

 

Other responsibilities of the Pharmacy Department include sterile preparation of injectable chemotherapy and biologic drug products, sitting in on multi-disciplinary rounds for patients on the medical and dialysis units and  are part of our antimicrobial stewardship team.