5.

APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS IN
HOSPITAL PHARMACY
Role of Computer in Pharmacy?
The computer has become a very common tool in all areas of
science and technology. With the proliferation of the Internet
and the developments in computer technology and
manufacturing, the ratio of price to performance of computers
continues to decrease. This has resulted in the development of
number of computer applications. The field of pharmacy has
immensely benefited by the use of computer and will continue
to benefit as the pharmacist’s gain more familiarity with
computers. The complete field of pharmacy requires
computers.
• Computers are playing critical role in pharmacy field.
• Computer significantly reduces the time, expenditure, and manpower
required for any kind of work.
• Development of various softwares makes it trouble-free to handle
huge data.
• Without computers pharmacy research will be long-lasting and
expensive.
What Features should be in a Pharmacy
Software?
• Attention must be directed toward which computerized functions to
include.
• Feature selection depends on the aspects and unique needs that
benefit most from computerization.
• The descriptions focus on computerization of those labor-intensive
activities necessary to support drug distribution services.
Important Application of Computer in
Hospital Pharmacy
• medication profiling
• drug interaction flagging
• data confidentiality
• drug usage review;
• purchasing and inventory control;
• controlled substances;
• outpatient services;
• drug distribution;
• drug information;
• clinical services.
• census support,
• hard copy reports.
• medicine labelling
• , patient medication records,
• decision support for drug interactions
and other warnings,
• stock control,
• ward inventory management,
• order processing and functions to
support pharmacy manufacturing
processes in hospitals.
Patient Record Database
Computers are used in hospitals to maintain patient record
database which is continually updated to reflect the current
status of all patients. Maintenance of patient census lists and
patient billing
1. The information stored include—name age sex weight
height.
2. allergies physician present diagnosis other diseases drugs
prescribed and special notes.
3. Preparation of letters and labels.
4. For drug store maintenance purchase and inventory control
in hospital pharmacy computers are very useful.
Backup and Support system

• Hospitals need a backup system centered around a hard-copy patient

medication profile.
• This profile is built through use of computer-generated duplicate
labels and exists for both the unit dose and intravenous admixture
services.
• With this approach, the computer initiates its own support system
and thereby eliminates the need for a separate, manually maintained
backup system.
• Pharmacy Information (PHARM) Systems. Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300339650_Pharmacy_Inf
ormation_PHARM_Systems
[accessed Oct 10 2018].
 Research Papers
• R Knight, J & Conrad, Wayne. (1975). Review of computer applications
in hospital pharmacy practice. American journal of hospital pharmacy.
32. 165-73.
• Stephen Goundrey-Smith MSc. Cert Clin Pharm, MRPharmS. (2013).
Pharmacy Management Systems. 151-173. 10.1007/978-1-4471-2780-
2_6.