The pharmacy provides extensive pharmacy services through the facilities and staff. The pharmacy maintains four twenty-four hour pharmacy operations to meet the specific needs of the Vanderbilt patients. These pharmacies include VUH Central, VCH, VUH Critical Care/OR and the Poison Control Center.
All patients served by the Vanderbilt Pharmacy receive a level of service that ensures safe and effective drug therapy. This includes review of medication orders by a pharmacist to make certain of appropriate drug and dose and screening for any interactions or potential adversities. This professional review is assisted with a robust physician order entry and pharmacy computer system providing decision support and clinical screening for all drug orders. These include: allergy checking, drug-drug interactions, duplication warnings, dose checks (adult, pediatrics, geriatrics), protocol support, specific drug therapy interventions, and investigational protocols. Extensive information resources are available to staff members on all clinical workstations.
Many patients at Vanderbilt require an additional level of pharmacy service related to complex higher risk therapy and/or cost of therapy. The department has made a concerted effort to work with the various patient care centers to identify these patient populations and direct additional resources to meet these needs. Specialty trained pharmacists are provided in the following areas: anticoagulation, pediatrics, transplant, oncology, trauma, critical care adult medicine, nutrition, geriatrics and burn. These pharmacists are responsible for assisting with optimal selection of medications and clinical monitoring of patient parameters in their respective area and serve as consultants for physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other health care providers.
Informatics Pharmacists work with physician teams to develop decision support and information resources for the CPOE system. The decision support is focused on improving safety, providing education and reducing cost of drug therapy.
Support Services:
The pharmacy provides support to many different Vanderbilt missions. These include:
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Community Service: Poison Control Center, Educational outreach programs
- Educational Programs: Medical School, Nursing School, Pharmacy Students, Residents, Pharmacy Technician Training
- Research Programs: Investigational Drug Service
The pharmacy is supported by a number of departments/ services. Some but not all include:
- Quality Resource Services
- Informatics/Information Services
- Legal Office
- Risk Management
- Compliance Office
- Human Resources
- Department of Finance