Page 194 - Hospital Authority Convention 2017

Parallel Sessions
HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2017

PS11.1 Transformation in Pharmaceutical Services 13:15 Theatre 2

Evolution of Korea’s Pharmaceutical Service Model
Choi S
Department of Pharmacy, Seoul St. Mary`s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Korea
Over the past 20 years, significant changes have been made in the field of pharmacy service. In 2000, the first amendment
initiated by the Korean government was the legislative separation of dispensary and medical practice. Simultaneously,
medication counseling by dispensing pharmacist was stipulated in the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. The second change was
the extension of the pharmacy college curriculum, from four years to six years starting from 2013. These transformations have
led to a paradigm shift in the roles of pharmacists. Hospital pharmacies have attempted to expand their role from preparing
and dispensing medicines, toward providing patient-centred clinical service by the following approaches: (1) intervention
on prescriptions; (2) systematic medication counseling; (3) drug information provision; (4) medication safety monitoring; (5)
therapeutic drug monitoring; and (6) multi-disciplinary medical team care. For more advanced pharmaceutical services, the
Korean Society of Health-system Pharmacists has introduced a “clinical pharmacy specialist” certification system for hospital
pharmacists since year 2010. Qualified pharmacists have thus served as pharmacy practice preceptors in various fields.
The need and importance for pharmaceutical services, as well as the challenges in providing advanced services, still exists.
One of the major barriers is the shortage of workforce, with inadequate reward systems and ambiguous role definitions
among healthcare professionals being other drawbacks. For advanced pharmaceutical care to achieve the common goals for
patient welfare, healthcare professionals need to collaborate more effectively with each other, and understand and respect all
professional roles.

PS11.2 Transformation in Pharmaceutical Services 13:15 Theatre 2

Steering HA’s Pharmaceutical Services to a New Paradigm
Ngan T
Chief Pharmacist’s Office, Hospital Authority Head Office, Hong Kong

Pharmaceutical services in public hospitals conventionally include drug supply and dispensing only. With the growing service
Wednesday, 17 May outpatient pharmacy services to further enhance pharmaceutical care and empower patients in optimal use of medications.
demand and heightened awareness of medication safety, boundary of pharmaceutical care, along with the professional
functions of pharmacists, it has been extended in both breadth and depth in recent years. The Hospital Authority (HA) has
formulated a roadmap in its Strategic Plan for 2017-22 to put vision into reality, encompassing initiatives in both inpatient and

Medication safety is the overarching mandate in delivering quality care for hospitalised patients. To this end, HA has
strengthened the use of information technology to facilitate computerised decision support and enhance medication safety
through closed-loop medication management. HA will take forward these initiatives by introducing further automation
technologies, enhancing pharmacy system integration, strengthening cluster-based after-hour support in pharmacy services
and fostering collaborative care by a multi-disciplinary approach. Pharmacists as part of the integrated care team will play a
more important role in the clinical management of patients.

HA’s outpatient pharmacy initiatives are targeted to address long waiting time, enhance medication management and
empower patients for better self-care. A new operation model of outpatient pharmacy services is developed to improve
medication management and service efficiency, and to optimise medication use and reduce drug wastage. HA will deploy
suitable automation technologies in outpatient pharmacy services and continue to improve the accessibility of drug
information through electronic platforms, thereby facilitating delivery of personalised medication management.
HA will keep on improving the professional competence of its pharmaceutical staff in order to cope with the evolving service
demand, and extend the professional support of pharmacists in delivering holistic care for patients in public hospitals.

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