MUBENDE REGIONAL REFERRAL HOSPITAL

DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACY
IN-PATIENT PHARMACY

10TH OCTOBER 2022

A REPORT ON ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT AT IN-PATIENT PHARMACY FROM

1ST AUGUST TO 7TH OCTOBER 2022.

BY

BAGUMA MICHEAL
INTERN PHARMACIST
ACTIVITIES
Dispensing
I always received patient files from different units of the accidents and emergency unit including;
medical unit, pediatric unit, surgical unit and gynecological ward. These were brought in either
in groups or one at time by the student nurses and sometimes by the ward in charges. I would
then dispense the prescribed medicines as follows;
 Read through the patient database, presentation, medication history, surgical history and
the diagnosis
 Read through the prescription for the drug name, dosage form, dose, frequency and
duration of treatment
 Understand the prescription and then calculate the doses for the individual drugs
 Determine the unit quantities for each drug to be given out depending on the needs and
also the available stock, I would usually give quantities that could be enough for the
patient for a 24 hours duration for injectables and most times a full course for the oral
drugs as these can be kept safely by the patient or the care takers.
 Record the patient in-patient number or outpatient number as well as the quantity
dispensed of each drug in the dispensing log. There were two dispensing logs one for
Injectables and the other for oral drugs and hence I was always keen to record in the
suitable log for every drug dispensed.
 Collect the injectable drugs from the shelves or boxes and pack them in a box for easier
handling. I would then pack the oral drugs in dispensing envelopes clearly indicating the
drug name, dosage form, the frequency as well as special instructions on taking the drugs
where necessary.
Stock management
I would always calculate the quantities of each item dispensed on a daily basis this would then be
tallied up at the end of the week to get the total weekly consumption which could then be used to
determine the amount to order.
On an occasional basis, I would carry out a physical count of available drugs so as to ensure
there’s a balance between quantity available and the documented quantity in the dispensing log.
Ordering
I would make orders for drugs and other items on weekly basis from the main stores. This was
usually done once in a week and at most twice on weekly basis in case of shortages along the
week that would be estimated not to push us to the next ordering day.
The quanties of each item to be orders was always determined as follows;
Quantity to order = (Total weekly consumption) – (Balance at hand)
In cases where the balance at hand for a given item would be equal to or higher than the Total
weekly consumption then there would be no need for ordering more of such item.
Two separate orders would be made one for oral drugs and the other for injectable drugs and
sundries. Then would then be taken to either the senior pharmacist or pharmacist for
authorization.
After the items are dispatched from the stores, I would then follow up to ensure all of them have
reached the in-patient pharmacy where I would then verify that the quantities indicated as
dispatched on the order are the actual ones delivered.
I would then record these in the dispensing log under the received items section in red ink then
put the items in their designated locations in the cupboard or the shelves.
Handling of Class A drugs
There was a designated lock and key area for class A drugs including Pethidine injection and oral
Morphine. On dispensing pethidine, the person making the order had to present empty vials for
what was previously ordered. The following would then be recorded in the prescription book for
class A drugs; patient name, unique identification number, quantity dispensed, frequency, name
of prescriber, then name and signature of the prescriber. A copy of the prescription would then
be retained at the in-patient pharmacy for future reference

RECOMMENDATIONS
 Files from different wards need to be brought in at once not individual ones at a time so
as to reduce on commotion and disorganization.
 A physical count of available items needs to be done at least once a week to reduce on
unnecessary losses.