Drugs are a fundamental element in treating people in the hospital: they must be administered to almost every admitted patient. And they contribute to reducing mortality and subsequent hospitalization, while they increase patients' life expectancy and quality of life.

But not all drugs are equally safe and effective, and the goal of Germans Trias is to select those which are the safest and most effective. The hospital's Pharmacotherapy Committee is responsible for this selection, which is carried out according to the Catalan Health Insitute's Drug Policy through the Pharmacotherapy Handbook. As a result, the hospital also has its own Pharmacotherapy Handbook.

Steps followed

Selected drugs must be available in the areas where patients receive care: hospitalization, critical patient unit, day hospitals, operating theatres, emergency room and doctors' offices.

From this point, indicating and administering drugs is a complex process requiring participation of serveral healthcare professionals.

This process is called pharmacotherapeutic process, and it is made up of the following steps:

• Medical prescription
• Preparation and pharmaceutical validation
• Administration by the nurse

The process is done completely online to guarantee maximum safety.

All of this is coordinated by the Hospital Pharmacy Service.