Establishment of a permanent decentralized pharmacy in the coronary and progressive care units.
Critical care units, such as Coronary Care Units (CCU) and Progressive Care Units (PCU), are patient care areas with complex and rapidly changing needs. Services that enable health care providers in these areas to function more quickly and accurately are constantly sought. A 3 week pilot project was organized in a pharmacy department to evaluate the potential impact of a decentralized pharmacy service in the CCU and PCU areas. Distributive and clinical pharmacy services were provided by two pharmacists during the study. Nursing evaluated the study period as being highly favorable, and missing doses decreased by 57%. The departments of nursing and administration responded to this pilot by funding positions from nursing toward the establishment of a permanent decentralized pharmacy in these units.
D015142:Baltimore; D002497:Centralized Hospital Services; D003325:Coronary Care Units; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011383:Progressive Patient Care