Current Trends in Hospital Pharmacy Practice in Lebanon

Abstract

Objectives: For decades, the role of hospital pharmacists has been instrumental in elevating pharmacy practice worldwide. Recently, the Hospital Pharmacy Section of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP), and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) updated their statements about the future role and responsibilities of the pharmacy executive in hospitals and health systems. A series of surveys were conducted around the globe to better understand the current state of hospital pharmacy practice. The purpose of these surveys was to identify challenges in hospital pharmacy practice and to develop improvement strategies. The objective of this national survey is to evaluate hospital pharmacy practice in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was performed among pharmacists working in hospital settings in Lebanon, from January through June 2016. Based on a literature review, a questionnaire to elicit Lebanese hospital pharmacists’ practice was developed. Results: The results showed a nonsignificant difference between university teaching and nonuniversity teaching hospitals in the processes of drug procurement, preparation, dispensing, and drug administration. However, statistically significant differences were observed between university teaching and nonuniversity teaching hospitals with respect to having clinical pharmacists ( P < .001) and highly qualified personnel ( P < .005). Pharmacy services in teaching hospitals seemed to be more advanced cooperating with affiliated medical schools. Furthermore, teaching hospitals were more likely to have pharmacists providing information about the safety of the medications used ( P = .029). Although not statistically significant, there was a higher trend toward having a designated champion for medication safety ( P = .052). Conclusion: The results of our survey showed that teaching hospitals were more compliant with the International Statements of Hospital Pharmacy Practice compared with nonteaching hospitals. There is room for improvement especially if the application of the accreditation standards for safe hospital pharmacy practice becomes mandatory for all hospitals, which is expected to standardize pharmacy practice and secure both medication and patient safety.

Adopting global tools for the advancement of pharmacy practice and workforce in Saudi Arabia

“…The added value of a pharmacist in multidisciplinary intra- and inter-professional healthcare teams was highlighted in several studies ( Bond and Raehl, 2007 , Leary et al, 2019 , Zhai et al, 2016 ). However, findings from the present study were similar to other studies in the region that showed the limited participation of pharmacists in multidisciplinary healthcare services ( Chamoun et al, 2020 ). Therefore, there is a need to develop and implement structured and evidence-based strategies, systems, and protocols for integrated professional services and to advocate for pharmacists as active members in these services.…”

Role of pharmacist during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

“…32 Pharmacists have a very comprehensive role within the hospital, performing from administrative activities to clinical services. 33 Therefore, they must be involved with all aspects of medicines use and be accessible as a point of contact for patients and health care providers. 34 As a consequence, it is more than expected that they would be on the frontline against COVID-19 pandemic and reporting on their successful experiences.…”

A Comparative Analysis of Public Hospital Pharmacy Systems in Norway and Pakistan: A Pilot Implementation of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ (ASHP) Guidelines

“…Some of these recommendations might be appropriate to other healthcare settings or help in assessing the extent and quality of pharmacy services. Several researchers have used these standards to evaluate hospital pharmacy practices in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Spain, respectively [26][27][28][29]. The questionnaire used in this study was modified from the original ASPH standards.…”