Infusion Pharmacy Services for Kids With Special Needs
Take a quick tour of the PHS Pharmacy, meet Pharmacist James Roemer, and watch PHS Pharmacist In Charge Jill Liebers describe how staff members coordinate, store and dispense medical supplies for pediatric pharmacy patients.
Pediatric pharmacy for kids with special needs
How does the PHS Pharmacy differ from a typical drug store? For one thing, our on-site pharmacy is designed specifically to meet the medication needs of growing kids with special needs. And our pharmacists are specialists in pediatric medication therapy and infusion therapy. That’s important because kids react to medicine differently than do adults.
Plus, children are constantly changing as they grow. A newborn and an 18-year-old not only differ in weight, but in how they metabolize drugs. Pediatric pharmacy patients are not like adults who often get the same standard dose.
Infusion therapy specialists
PHS specialty pharmacists make sterile solutions to be administered intravenously, including mixing up highly individualized recipes for newborns, children, and adolescents who have complex medical conditions. They also plan and monitor drug programs and regimens, make recommendations on the selection, dosage, interactions, and effects of drugs, and work with a team of discipline experts to coordinate homecare of their pediatric patients.
Dispensing more than medicine
The pharmacy staff also works with nurses to educate families and home caregivers on everything they need to know about our specialty pharmacy services—from how to store medications to what they need to know about shipping and delivery. A PHS pharmacist is available to patient caregivers 24/7, 365 days a year to take calls, answer questions and respond to needs.
You can read more about what makes PHS pediatric pharmacy services unique in the Summer 2010 issue of our newsletter, The Pulse.
Tips to share?
Ordering, managing and storing medications can be challenging for families taking care of special needs kids at home. What works for you?
Originally published: November 5, 2010
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