The Department of Pharmaceutical Services provides comprehensive pharmaceutical care services to Vanderbilt University Hospital (VUH), Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt (Children's Hospital), Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital (VPH) and The Vanderbilt Medical Group (VMG). This patient-centered service is provided through the Patient Care Center organization and clinic structure. The role of the Pharmacy is to promote safe and effective medication therapy for all patients and to provide oversight and leadership of the medication use system.
Contract pharmacy services are provided to Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital (VSRH). The Middle Tennessee Poison Control Center provides access to Poison Information Specialists that are available 24 hours a day to provide accurate information on how to handle any suspected poisoning or toxic substance exposure.
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The Department supports education of pharmacists, physicians, nurses and other professionals through active participation in the collaborative care of patients. The department provides American Society of Health-System Pharmacists accredited residency programs in order to train pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical care, and serves as a practice site for multiple Colleges of Pharmacy as students are integrated into routine clinical and operational services.
The Department ensures that medical, nursing and pharmacy staff are provided with patient-specific drug information in order to improve drug therapy outcomes and reduce risk for adverse drug events. Pharmacists routinely provide drug information and clinical decision support to providers through the Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) system, through participation with numerous committees and by the provision of various in-services, newsletters, and presentations. ACPE-accredited continuing education is provided to pharmacists in order to improve their clinical knowledge and skills, and to fulfill state requirements for licensure.
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The Pharmacy actively supports all departments and investigators involved in research through the Investigational Drug Service. This includes participation on all three Institutional Review Board (IRB), assistance with protocols, proper control and documentation of investigational drugs per established standards and guidelines.
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The Department collaborates with Hospital Administration and the Department of Finance to ensure that proper financial controls and adequate resources are available to provide quality pharmacy services to our patients and other customers. Working with the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee facilitates quality cost effective drug therapy.
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The Pharmacy is actively involved with the Medication Use and Safety Improvement Committee (MUSIC), Patient Safety Committee, Quality Council, and the Department of Accreditation and Standards making certain that the medication use system is safe, of high quality, and is in compliance with all regulatory agencies.