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Hospitals increasingly will create pharmacy information technology (IT) positions as the web-based information age ushers in the use of the Internet for enhancing pharmacy careers, educating pharmacists and the public, and communicating with patients, experts say.
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Hospital pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committees continually face challenges in balancing the needs of patients for better, safer drugs with the need of the hospital to make formulary decisions that are financially, as well as therapeutically, feasible.
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Before hospital pharmacy directors and health systems invest in new and expensive technology such as carousel/packager equipment, they need to research its use to ensure this will work within their system's culture and infrastructure.
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One of the most promising and exciting aspects of web technology is the potential it has for transforming how pharmacists and other clinicians educate and communicate with patients, experts say.
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When pharmacy professionals move toward using web technology in their practice there are three main domains to consider, including using the web for a personal and professional presence, using the web for self-education as well as educating the public, and using the web to communicate with patients and educate them about their disease and adherence.
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Once a health system pharmacy receives approval to buy expensive new technology, such as carousel and packager equipment, it's time to put that money to the most efficient use, an expert says.
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The nation's rising rate of obesity has required hospitals to rethink patient care, including different beds and lift equipment. But obesity also poses issues for hospitals as employers.
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Employers can have an impact on employee's lifestyle choices through a variety of workplace interventions. Here are some identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its LEAN Works program:
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Particulate respirators - a controversial step beyond common surgical masks - are now mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to protect health care workers from acquiring H1N1 pandemic influenza A from patients. With respirator shortages feared, "good-faith efforts" by health care employers will be recognized by OSHA, which nevertheless is warning that citations and fines may result from inspections that will be primarily prompted by employee complaints.
