Coming to the Hospital
An essential part of your care requires a complete history of your medications. Physicians, nurses and pharmacists will all ask about your medications and how you use them. The medicines we need to know about include:
- all prescribed medications;
- any medications you take that do not need a prescription (for example: Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, Aspirin products, cough and cold products, and all other over-the-counter products);
- any nutritional supplements such as vitamins and minerals, whether natural sources or not;
- Nutraceuticals include chondroitin, glucosamine, Coenzyme Q10, St. John's Wort, and others; and
- any recreational drugs such as cannabis and alcohol.
Your pharmacy can provide you with a list of their prescription medications. However, they will not include non-prescription products.
Therefore, we ask that you bring all the bottles, ointment or cream tubes, dropper bottles, puffers, and other medication packages to the hospital. Any unnecessary medication will be returned home after your healthcare team has reviewed them. We may also ask for your support to contact your pharmacy for detailed information about your medication use at home.
In reviewing your medications, you will be asked questions to confirm which of these medications you are actively taking and how you take them. You may be asked questions about your understanding of why you take each medication. Your success with medication therapy requires that we ensure you clearly understand why you take each medication.
We often work with your home pharmacist to ensure you are well-supported in your new medication regimen after discharge.
The primary members of the medication therapy team are physicians, nurses, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. While you are in the hospital, the whole team is responsible for ensuring you receive the necessary medications and that they are delivering the desired outcomes.
Inpatient Unit Dose/IV Additive Drug Distribution Service
Specially trained pharmacy technicians work with pharmacists to ensure that medication doses are prepared and dispensed in a ready-to-use format for administration by nursing or medical staff.
Pharmaceutical Care Services
Pharmacists at LHSC are essential to health care teams in many areas such as inpatient wards, pre-admit clinics and outpatient clinics. They identify and resolve drug-related problems for patients and provide education concerning the appropriate use of medications.
Prescription Centre Retail Pharmacy Services
LHSC operates three accredited retail pharmacies located in the lobby at the University Hospital, Level 2 at Victoria Hospital, and Level 1 at Children's Hospital, providing services to patients, staff and visitors of LHSC.
London Regional Cancer Program Pharmacy Services
LHSC Pharmacy operates the pharmacy in the London Regional Cancer Program. The pharmacy prepares and dispenses prescriptions and chemotherapy doses for patients.
