Pharmacy

As members of the health-care team, pharmacists collaborate with health-care providers to optimize medication therapy for patients. They also help patients understand what their medications are for and how to manage medication side effects.

Pharmacists keep patients safe through specialized care including the following:

• Talking with patients and their caregivers about their medications
• Making sure patients receive their usual home medications while in the hospital, when appropriate
• Working with the health-care team to develop an effective medication treatment plan
• Checking that medications are safe and effective  
• Recommending changes to medications if needed
• Keeping track of drug allergies and avoiding those medicines
• Sharing important information with health-care teams  
• Making sure medication plans continue smoothly if patients move within the hospital or to another facility
• Explaining any medication changes and answering questions before patients leave the hospital

Pharmacy technicians play an important role in getting medication to patients safely and on time in the hospital. They use medication dispensing technologies to improve medication safety throughout the hospital.

Pharmacy technicians make sure medication is ready when you need it by doing the following:  

• Preparing, labelling and delivering medication
• Mixing (compounding) medication when needed
• Preparing sterile medication for intravenous (IV) infusion, including cancer medication
• Managing medication shortages
• Ensuring medication is accessible throughout the hospital

In some cases, our medication reimbursement specialists can connect patients to programs that will help offset the cost of their medication.​

As a fully affiliated partner with the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo, we take pride in educating future pharmacists and technicians. We are also committed to our work in clinical practice and medication research.

How to access our services

Patients and caregivers can contact a pharmacist through any member of their care team.