Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Unit, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Pharm J. 2012 Oct;20(4):307-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2012.05.003. Epub 2012 May 14.
There is very little published data assessing hospital pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia. Hence, a comprehensive survey has been undertaken to evaluate hospital pharmacy services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Recently, we published the survey results on the prescribing and transcribing steps of the medication use process. This paper focuses on dispensing and administration.
A modified-American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) survey questionnaire was personally delivered to the pharmacy directors of 48 hospitals in the Riyadh region. Three attempted follow-ups were made within 3 months to non-responders and the surveys were collected upon completion. The survey was conducted using similar methods to those of the ASHP surveys.
Twenty-nine hospitals participated in the survey with a response rate of 60.4%. Centralized distribution (74%) is the most commonly used model for inpatient pharmacies. Overall, 21% of hospitals routinely use bar coding technology in medication dispensing. None of the hospitals are using a robotic distribution system to automate the dispensing of unit doses. Automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) are used by 21% of hospitals as part of their decentralized distribution model. Sixty-one percent of hospital pharmacies have IV admixture preparation area in their facility. In the use of safety technology for medication administration, only one third of hospitals are using electronic medication administration records (eMARs), 7.4% had bar-code-assisted medication administration (BCMA) and 12% had smart infusion pumps.
Hospital pharmacies in the Riyadh region are fairly well developed in providing dispensing and administration services. Further improvement can be achieved by increasing the use of new technologies such as bar-code technology, unit dose drug distribution systems, pharmacy-based IV admixture services, smart infusion pumps, and automated medication distribution.
沙特阿拉伯的医院药学实践相关数据很少见诸于文献。因此，我们进行了一项全面调查，以评估沙特阿拉伯医院药学服务。近期，我们发表了关于用药流程中处方和转录步骤的调查结果。本文重点介绍配发和给药环节。
我们向利雅得地区 48 家医院的药剂科主任亲自发放了经过修改的美国卫生系统药剂师协会（ASHP）调查问卷。在 3 个月内，我们对未回复者进行了 3 次尝试性跟进，完成后收回问卷。调查采用与 ASHP 调查类似的方法进行。
29 家医院参与了此次调查，应答率为 60.4%。集中式配发（74%）是住院药房最常用的模式。总体而言，21%的医院常规在药物配发中使用条码技术。没有医院使用机器人配送系统来实现单位剂量的自动化配发。自动化配发药柜（ADCs）在 21%的医院中被用作分散式配送模式的一部分。61%的医院药房在其设施中设有静脉药物混合调配区。在给药安全技术的使用方面，只有三分之一的医院使用电子医嘱系统（eMARs），7.4%的医院使用条码辅助给药（BCMA），12%的医院使用智能输液泵。
利雅得地区的医院药房在提供配发和给药服务方面相当发达。通过增加条码技术、单位剂量药物配送系统、基于药房的静脉药物混合调配服务、智能输液泵和自动化药物配送等新技术的使用，可以进一步提高服务水平。
