The Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee has three major roles to play.
Advisory:
The committee recommends the adoption of policies or
assists in the formulation of broad professional policies regarding the evolution,
selection, and therapeutic use of drugs in the hospital. The committee serves
in an advisory capacity to medical staff and hospital administration in all
matters about the use of drugs, including investigational drugs. It makes
recommendations concerning the drugs to be stocked in the hospital patient care
area. The committee advises the pharmacy in the implementation of effective
drug distribution and control procedures.
Educational:
The committee recommends or assists in the formulation
of functions, designed to meet the needs
of the professional staff viz. the physician, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care
practitioners, for the complete current knowledge of the matters related to
drugs and their use. The committee evaluates the problems related to the
distribution and administration of medications including; medication incidents,
it reviews adverse drug reactions occurring in the hospital to initiate and/or
direct the drug activity studies and to review and study the results of such
activities. The committee develops and compiles a formulary of drugs and
prescriptions of formulations accepted for use in the hospital. It also
provides for its constant revision the selection of items to be included in the
formulary will be based on the objective evaluation of their therapeutic
duplications, merits, safety, cost, etc.
Drug safety and adverse drug monitoring:
With the advent and increase of each new class of
therapeutic agents, the scope, knowledge, and responsibility of the hospital
pharmacist increase proportionately. Along with its increased responsibility
also devolves on him the moral, legal, and professional obligations on ensuring
safety in handling and administration of drugs. Unfortunately, the safety
aspects are more or less taken for granted by pharmacy, medical and nursing
professionals, less so in western countries but very much so in our country.
This tendency is perhaps because pharmacy accidents resulting in serious injury
or death of patients are relatively infrequent.