COMMITTEES, MEDICAL and SURGICAL DEPARTMENTS and SUPPORT STAFF
Direct patient care is the primary activity that takes place in a hospital. However, ensuring that hospitals remain safe and effective open communication amongst and between various departments must be maintained. Various committees serve to generate ideas on best practice and to communicate them through the appropriate channels.
Medical Staff Committees
Multidisciplinary committees perform specific activities that the medical staff as a whole are responsible for. The medical staff and the Board of Trustees form executive committees that coordinate the work of all other committees in the hospital. The activities of the medical staff committee includes reviewing the work related to pharmacy and therapeutics, credentialing (to ensure all medical staff are in good standing within their profession), quality assurance and drug utilization.
Medical Advisory Committee (MAC)
Regulation 729 of the Public Hospitals Act states: “medical staff must organize itself within a system of committees for regulatory and supervisory functions.” Because of this, all hospitals in Ontario create and maintain a well functioning Medical Advisory Committee (MAC). It is considered the main hospital committee. The MAC consists of elected members of each major section of the medical staff. The MAC answers directly to the governing body. It recommends rules and regulations governing the professional practice of medicine and acts as a discipline committee if need be. The MAC appoints medical staff to special and standing committees to ensure that there is representation and a link in communication.
Standing Committees
Examples of other committees, referred to as Standing Committees, in a hospital are the Pharmacy and Therapeutics or P&T Committee (also referred to as the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee), the Organ Donations Committe, the Infection Control Committee, the Intensive Care Committee, the Credentials Committee and the Rounds Committee. The number and nature of committees will differ from hospital to hospital but what remains consistent is that all recommendations from committees are referred to the Board of Trustees before action on an item is taken.
Medical and Surgical Departments
Medical and surgical departments are categorized into specialty departments. Larger hospitals may subdivide departments to ensure that adequate representation and chain of command will happen. The number of divisions depends upon the services provided at the hospital. Typically, each division or department has a department head and each sub-division has a chief or chair of service who is responsible to the department head. Medical departments include the following: Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology, Dermatology, Cardiology, Geriatrics, Endocrinology, Pulmonary Diseases, Rheumatology, Gastroenterology and Immunology/ Allergy. Surgical departments include: General Surgery, Neurologic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Urology, Orthopedic Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Plastic Surgery and Proctology. (Make sure you are familiar with the meaning of each of the above. e.g. the dermatology department deals with issues relating to the skin; orthopedic surgery deals with conditions relating to the bones and muscles)
Hospital Staff (Support Services)
Many other departments and support staff are required to keep a hospital running smoothly from day to day. They include:
- the Accounting department which is repsonsible for payables, receivables, payroll and materials management.
- Cardiopulmonary support services including Electrocardiogram, Holter Monitoring, Nuclear Cardiography and Echocardiography
- Pulmonary services including respiratory therapy and pulmonary function
- Neurology services such as performing Electroencephalography (EEG)
- Dietary services involving diet counseling and Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) consultation
- Educational Services for new employees and volunteers
- Health Records that are compiled and maintained for access by medical staff and patients or their families
- Diagnostic imaging including Radiography, Nuclear medicine and Ultrasound
- Chiropodist services
- Perfusionist services
- Laboratory services including Hematology, Pathology and Cytology
- Mental Health services such as an outpatient clinic
- Rehabilitation services such as a Sports Medicine Clinic, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy and Speech and Audiology
- Renal Dialysis including Hemodialysis and Peritoneal dialysis
- Central Service Department which provides non-pharmaceutical supplies for nursing and specialized units (often called Supply, Porter and Distribution or SPD)
- Social Work which includes discharge planning, crisis intervention for Emergency Room patients and counseling servcies
- Volunteer services which organizes volunteers to conduct fundraising activites, provide in-patient library service and to staff the gift shop
Think about ways pharmacy may interact with the departments and services described above. And again, make sure you familiarize yourself with any and all the terms mentioned.
CHECKPOINT Question TWO: Have a look at the Organizational Structure of Sunnybrook Health Science Centre. How does this compare with the information provided this week? (Keep in mind Sunnybrook is a very large hospital). Compare Sunnybrook's organizational structure with that of SJHC. Look for the roles/titles that are similar or the same.
Direct patient care is the primary activity that takes place in a hospital. However, ensuring that hospitals remain safe and effective open communication amongst and between various departments must be maintained. Various committees serve to generate ideas on best practice and to communicate them through the appropriate channels.
Medical Staff Committees
Multidisciplinary committees perform specific activities that the medical staff as a whole are responsible for. The medical staff and the Board of Trustees form executive committees that coordinate the work of all other committees in the hospital. The activities of the medical staff committee includes reviewing the work related to pharmacy and therapeutics, credentialing (to ensure all medical staff are in good standing within their profession), quality assurance and drug utilization.
Medical Advisory Committee (MAC)
Regulation 729 of the Public Hospitals Act states: “medical staff must organize itself within a system of committees for regulatory and supervisory functions.” Because of this, all hospitals in Ontario create and maintain a well functioning Medical Advisory Committee (MAC). It is considered the main hospital committee. The MAC consists of elected members of each major section of the medical staff. The MAC answers directly to the governing body. It recommends rules and regulations governing the professional practice of medicine and acts as a discipline committee if need be. The MAC appoints medical staff to special and standing committees to ensure that there is representation and a link in communication.
Standing Committees
Examples of other committees, referred to as Standing Committees, in a hospital are the Pharmacy and Therapeutics or P&T Committee (also referred to as the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee), the Organ Donations Committe, the Infection Control Committee, the Intensive Care Committee, the Credentials Committee and the Rounds Committee. The number and nature of committees will differ from hospital to hospital but what remains consistent is that all recommendations from committees are referred to the Board of Trustees before action on an item is taken.
Medical and Surgical Departments
Medical and surgical departments are categorized into specialty departments. Larger hospitals may subdivide departments to ensure that adequate representation and chain of command will happen. The number of divisions depends upon the services provided at the hospital. Typically, each division or department has a department head and each sub-division has a chief or chair of service who is responsible to the department head. Medical departments include the following: Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology, Dermatology, Cardiology, Geriatrics, Endocrinology, Pulmonary Diseases, Rheumatology, Gastroenterology and Immunology/ Allergy. Surgical departments include: General Surgery, Neurologic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Urology, Orthopedic Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Plastic Surgery and Proctology. (Make sure you are familiar with the meaning of each of the above. e.g. the dermatology department deals with issues relating to the skin; orthopedic surgery deals with conditions relating to the bones and muscles)
Hospital Staff (Support Services)
Many other departments and support staff are required to keep a hospital running smoothly from day to day. They include:
- the Accounting department which is repsonsible for payables, receivables, payroll and materials management.
- Cardiopulmonary support services including Electrocardiogram, Holter Monitoring, Nuclear Cardiography and Echocardiography
- Pulmonary services including respiratory therapy and pulmonary function
- Neurology services such as performing Electroencephalography (EEG)
- Dietary services involving diet counseling and Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) consultation
- Educational Services for new employees and volunteers
- Health Records that are compiled and maintained for access by medical staff and patients or their families
- Diagnostic imaging including Radiography, Nuclear medicine and Ultrasound
- Chiropodist services
- Perfusionist services
- Laboratory services including Hematology, Pathology and Cytology
- Mental Health services such as an outpatient clinic
- Rehabilitation services such as a Sports Medicine Clinic, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy and Speech and Audiology
- Renal Dialysis including Hemodialysis and Peritoneal dialysis
- Central Service Department which provides non-pharmaceutical supplies for nursing and specialized units (often called Supply, Porter and Distribution or SPD)
- Social Work which includes discharge planning, crisis intervention for Emergency Room patients and counseling servcies
- Volunteer services which organizes volunteers to conduct fundraising activites, provide in-patient library service and to staff the gift shop
Think about ways pharmacy may interact with the departments and services described above. And again, make sure you familiarize yourself with any and all the terms mentioned.
CHECKPOINT Question TWO: Have a look at the Organizational Structure of Sunnybrook Health Science Centre. How does this compare with the information provided this week? (Keep in mind Sunnybrook is a very large hospital). Compare Sunnybrook's organizational structure with that of SJHC. Look for the roles/titles that are similar or the same.