Hospital pharmacy and the patient

The development of new technology means that compromised patients previously confined to hospital may now be treated at home. Those patients receiving intravenous feeding, cytotoxic drugs and new insulin therapy, are fully trained by the health-care professionals (doctors, pharmacists and nurses) to encourage self-reliance and understanding which are vital to success. There are hazards in treating these patients in the home environment, e.g. microbiological risks which are currently being evaluated, failure of equipment, and social problems as patients adjust to a new life in the community. Neverthless, the balance of benefits favour restoration of the patient to a self-reliant positive life at home. The delivery of this important new dimension in therapy was described at a symposium held in the University of York by innovators in the field. Discussion enabled the core of knowledge and experience developed by multi-disciplinary teams to be shared. The problems of supplying parenteral nutrition and medication for the compromised patient in the home and the family situation were aired and solutions presented. The special care for hospital out-patients receiving cytotoxic drug therapy and safe procedures for staff handling these agents was presented and together with responses to questions indicated the direction for UK hospital pharmacists to follow. More information is needed and it is hoped that this account of these proceedings will stimulate interest in these aspects of health care.