Behind the scenes at Greenwich Hospital, more than 20,000 inpatient prescriptions are processed every month by the Pharmacy Department's staff of 28 pharmacists and technicians. Each order is verified for appropriateness of medication and dosage.

A "smart" system
A hospital-wide system designed to distribute the right drugs to the right person at the right time starts with CPOE -- Computerized Physician Order Entry. Greenwich Hospital doctors can go to any computer in the hospital, pull up their patient's profile and enter medication orders, lab orders and other pertinent information. Each order is verified, which means each newly prescribed medication is verified against the patient's overall drug intake, any known allergies, or other contraindications. If the pharmacy identifies an issue, they will consult with the doctor. If there are no safety issues, and the drug is part of the hospital's formulary, the medication is made available immediately.

Formulary medications are stocked in locked dispensers, similar to vending machines, in each patient care area. Approved prescriptions are released electronically to the patient's nurse, via a computer, with no delivery delays.

Customized care
If a specialty drug is needed, the pharmacy staff will compound it by hand. This might be a pain reliever or anesthetic that is custom mixed for the individual patient. Likewise, all chemotherapy drugs are made under special conditions in the pharmacy. Each one is a recipe based on the patient's height, weight, body surface area and kidney function.

With safety such an overriding issue, the pharmacy uses vast resources to constantly update its knowledge bank. The team includes a clinical pharmacist who researches new drugs as well as new uses for existing ones. In addition to personally fielding questions from staff doctors and nurses, the staff provides extensive drug information via the hospital's intranet. To contact the pharmacy, please call (203) 863-3103.

Medication Review
Greenwich Hospital offers a pharmacology consultation service, or Medication Review, that provides expert advice on how to avoid problems with medications and over-the-counter remedies.

Many medications, including herbals and vitamins, have powerful ingredients that interact with the human body in different ways. Foods and lifestyle can also affect the body's reactions to these products. Some of these reactions are harmless. But others may lessen the effectiveness of these remedies or even cause dangerous side effects.

In a pharmacology consultation a registered clinical pharmacist meets privately with anyone interested in learning about the potential interaction of medication, herbals, and vitamins. To learn more about the Medication Review pharmacology consultation service at Greenwich Hospital, please call (203) 863-4365.

Education

• Patient Education: Medication Information
  
• Medicine-Alcohol Interactions
• Antibiotics after Total Joint Surgery
• Narcotic Pain Medication Side Effects
• Meds Which Discolor Urine
• Over the Counter Drug Interaction
• Food & Herbal Drug Interaction
• Herbal Drug Adverse Interactions