Our 24-hour pharmacy serves to dispense medications in a secure manner along with providing professional advices to facilitate patients or their relatives to understand the use and particulars of their medications. In addition, we have set up a 24-hour Drug Information Inquiry Hotline (23398964) at which patients can obtain personalized support whenever they encountered problems related to medication use.

In order to cope with the ever-changing needs and expectations of our patients, it is our belief to improve our service quality proactively and continuously. To achieve and maintain objectives in providing high quality services, our pharmacy is participating in several overseas accreditation programs. In addition, every colleague of our department has to participate in continuous education programs to ensure that their medicinal knowledge can keep pace with contemporary situation.

Throughout the dispensing process, pharmacy staff must ensure that all information on the prescriptions is stated correctly, they include patient's name, hospital number, name of medicine, allergy history, directions, dosages, doctor's signature and so forth. Upon the confirmation of the above-mentioned details, they will be input to our computer system to generate labels containing the patient's name, medicine name, directions, cautionary instructions and so on either in Chinese or English. All packaged and labeled medicines are checked by another staff before they are issued to patients.

When there are queries about the prescriptions, we will raise all concerns to the prescribers for clarification in order to protect our patients from potential risks. Pharmacy professionals are willing to explain the use of medicines and related precautions to patients with enquiries or during medication counseling.

Since 2003, our resident doctors have been using a computerized prescribing system. This system assures the accuracy of our dispensing service and it improves our efficiency, and thus the waiting time of patients is shortened.

In 2008, pharmacy department started a discharge medication counseling service provided by our registered pharmacists. The program is aimed at improving patients' understanding about their medicines on discharge and assisting them in the correct use of their medicines in order to attain the intended therapeutic outcomes.

Upon referral by nurses, pharmacists will provide bedside counseling on medicines. In addition to the correct use of the medicines, this consultation also includes providing information on the precautions and common undesirable effects of each medicine. Pharmacists will also provide other medical information during the consultation for supplemental uses when necessary.

The Pharmacy Manufacturing Room is mainly used to prepare antiseptic solutions and specific prescribed medicines with dosage forms that are not available from drug companies.

The water supply in the room is processed through a high-grade water purifier. The purifier has a set of high efficiency filters to remove impurities and microorganisms in water. In addition, water samples are tested at designated intervals to ensure that the quality meets the highest international standards. Furthermore, a fume cupboard is installed for handling substances that are harmful or that can produce vapors.

All products and their raw materials have to pass our strict internal control and quality assurance measures before they are supplied to patients or wards.

We have specially arranged a Chemotherapy Medicine Preparation Room for preparing chemotherapeutic medicines (medicines for treating cancer). It provides a quiet, clean and germ-free environment for our trained staff in the preparation of chemotherapy medicines to ensure that the medicines prepared are safe and effective in helping patients to achieve their treatment goals. Moreover, there are facilities to protect our staff from being contaminated by chemotherapy medicines during the preparation process. Colleagues responsible for the preparation of chemotherapy medicines are properly trained and their skills are evaluated every year.

The Aseptic Preparation Room is specially designed for preparing Total Parenteral Nutrition products or other intravenous preparations according to the doctor's prescription. It serves in the preparation of medicines for critically ill or immuno-compromised patients like some early-born babies or cancer patients who are vulnerable and unable to eat or drink. The whole process is undergone in a clean and germ-free environment by trained pharmacy staff to prepare medicines that are up to standard.

Sometimes, we will prepare preparations like eye drops that are not available in market or those require high standards in sterility and cleanliness to meet the specific needs of patients.

The pharmacy has stored more than 2500 different medications that are kept in advanced storage cabinets. The temperature of Medication Store is controlled within 18°C to 20°C. Pharmacy staffs monitor the temperature daily and check the expiry dates of medicines regularly to ensure the quality of our medicine is maintained. All of our medicines are registered under regulation of the Hong Kong Department of Health to ensure they are of high quality and safety.

For enquiries, please contact us at:
Pharmacy Department

Address	:	G/F, Block B, Hong Kong Baptist Hospital
Telephone	:	2339 8964
Fax	:	2339 0048