The Pharmacy at the Nebraska Heart Hospital is staffed by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Responsibilities and services include:

• reviewing doctor orders for medications (ensuring doses are appropriate and drug interactions are avoided)
• entering medication orders into the electronic system
• distributing medications to patient rooms and automated dispensing machines
• preparing intravenous medications
• answering questions about drugs to doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists

One of the main responsibilities is to ensure that medication use is as safe as possible for patients. The Pharmacy assists nurses, respiratory therapists, and clinicians to follow the "five rights of medication use": right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, and right time. We do this by reviewing orders and entering them into the computer as well as making sure barcodes are present on all medications.

Clinicians scan barcodes on medications before giving them to the patient, which ensures the "five rights." Automated dispensing machines, which are kept near nursing units, cath labs and operating rooms, assure that clinicians receive the correct medications quickly.

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Pharmacy • (402) 328-3070