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Inpatient Pharmacy Services at Valley Children's

The Inpatient Pharmacy Department at Valley Children’s utilizes evidence-based therapeutic guidelines and emerging technologies to provide excellent pharmaceutical care to our patients. Our highly trained pharmacists work side-by-side with physicians and nurses to ensure optimal patient outcomes, while utilizing state-of-the-art technology to maximize patient safety. Our pharmacists are readily available at the bedside or by phone 24 hours a day.

Pharmacy RoundsServices Offered

  • Review pediatric specific patient drug regimens for appropriateness, any potential drug interactions, or incompatibilities
  • Interdisciplinary rounding on acute care and critical care services
  • Pharmacy driven protocols such as antibiotic monitoring, IV to oral administration and renal dosing
  • Medication reconciliation
  • Provision of drug information to health professionals and patients
  • Extemporaneous oral preparations for non-commercially available liquids
  • In-house parenteral nutrition (PN) services
  • Investigational drug oversight
  • Partners with Children’s Oncology Group to improve the outcome for children with cancer
  • Outpatient monitoring of anticoagulation therapies
  • Advanced collaborative practice agreements to optimize pharmacist and physician collaboration to enhance patient care
  • Pharmacist managed medication therapies in the cystic fibrosis center, neurology center and complex primary care center

Advanced Training and Expertise

  • All of our pharmacists hold Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degrees and many have completed pharmacy residencies and fellowships and/or are board certified (BCOP, BCPS, BCPPS, CNSC)
  • Pharmacists have specialized training in areas such as oncology, pharmacotherapy, infectious disease, emergency medicine, pediatric intensive care, neonatal intensive care, ambulatory care and general pediatrics

Inpatient Pharmacy TechTechnology

Valley Children’s utilizes state-of-the-art technology to ensure patient safety through the use of the following:

  • A fully automated robotic system that aids in the dispensing of medication utilizing bar code technology
  • Bedside medication verification
  • Automated dispensing cabinets
  • Robotic sterile compounding and barcode scanning
  • Gravimetric and volumetric IV verification and barcode scanning
  • Parenteral nutrition (PN) sterile compounding
  • Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) for inpatient medications
  • Electronic prescribing for outpatient medications
  • Fully compliant USP797 and USP800 IV rooms and non-sterile hazardous drug compounding space
  • BD Pyxis CII SafeTM
  • “Smart” infusion pumps with drug libraries to prevent programing errors

Metrics

  • Pharmacy Interventions: Over 55,000 annually
  • Doses Dispensed: More than 1 million per year
  • Staff Size: 100
  • Day Shift: 14 pharmacists, 18 technicians
  • Night Shift: 2 pharmacists, 2 technicians

Pharmacy Locations

Inpatient Pharmacy: Called the Central Pharmacy, the inpatient pharmacy prepares and dispenses the vast majority of the medications for our patients. Pharmacists review drug orders and are available for drug information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Pharmacy: Located on the second floor, the ICU pharmacy serves the PICU and NICU. Our ICU pharmacists provide pharmaceutical services for our critically ill patients.

Oncology Pharmacy: Located in the Craycroft Cancer Center, the oncology pharmacy serves both inpatient and outpatient areas. This satellite prepares chemotherapy and hazardous drugs in full compliance with USP797 and USP800.

Garden Pharmacy: Located on the ground floor near Starship Apollo and Starship Discovery, pharmacists are readily available to round and provide clinical services for acute care medicine, pulmonology, gastroenterology, and neurology patients. Our Garden pharmacists also support the Pediatric Rehabilitation Center, the only pediatric rehabilitation program in the region.

Voyager Pharmacy: Located on the first level, the Voyager pharmacy serves both Starship Explorer and Starship Voyager inpatient units. Pharmacists are available to provide clinical services rounding with medical teams.

Emergency Department (ED): On site pharmacist available in our ED to assist with trauma and other acute medication needs of emergency patients including following up on patient culture results with appropriate recommendations.

Parenteral Nutrition (PN): Located on the second level, pharmacists and technicians monitor and compound sterile parenteral products for patients throughout the hospital.  Additionally, a group of Advanced Practice Pharmacists are able to order Parenteral Nutrition through a collaborative practice agreement with the Gastroenterology Providers.

Information Technology (IT): Located on the second level, our IT pharmacists support and manage the various technologies that are utilized by the department and the hospital to ensure the most optimum patient safety.

Contact

Phone: (559) 353-5500