WAC 246-869-120   Mechanical devices in hospitals.  Mechanical devices for storage of floor stock, shall be limited to hospitals and shall comply with all the following provisions:

     (1) All drugs and medicines to be stocked in the device shall be prepared for use in the device by or under the direct supervision of a registered pharmacist in the employ of the hospital and shall be prepared in the hospital from the hospital stock in which the drug is to be administered. "Hospital" shall mean any hospital licensed by the state department of health or under the direct supervision of the state department of institutions.

     (2) Such device shall be stocked with drugs and medicines only by a registered pharmacist in the employ of the hospital.

     (3) A registered pharmacist in the employ of the hospital shall be personally responsible for the inventory and stocking of drugs and medicines in the device and he shall be personally responsible for the condition of the drugs and medicines stored in the device.

     (4) A registered pharmacist in the employ of the hospital shall be the only person having access to that portion, section, or part of the device in which the drugs or medicines are stored.

     (5) All containers of drugs or medicines to be stored in the device shall be correctly labeled to include: Name, strength, route of administration and if applicable, the expiration date.

     (6) At the time of the removal of any drug or medicine from the device, the device shall automatically make a written record showing the name, strength, and quantity of the drug or medicine removed, the name of the patient for whom the drug or medicine was ordered, and the identification of the nurse removing the drug or medicine from the device. The record must be maintained for two years by the hospital and shall be accessible to the pharmacist.

     (7) Medical practitioners authorized to prescribe, pharmacists authorized to dispense, or nurses authorized to administer such drugs shall be the only persons authorized to remove any drug or medicine from the device and such removal by a nurse or medical practitioner shall be made only pursuant to a chart order. An identification mechanism, required to operate the device shall be issued permanently to each operator while the operator is on the staff of, or employed by the hospital. Such mechanism must imprint the operator's name or number if it permits the device to operate.

     (8) The device shall be used only for the furnishing of drugs or medicines for administration in the hospital to registered in-patients or emergency patients in the hospital.

     (9) Every hospital seeking approval to use any device shall, prior to installation of the device, register with the board by filing an application. Such application shall contain: The name and address of the hospital; the name of the registered pharmacist who is to be responsible for stocking the device; the manufacturer's name and model, description, and the proposed location of each device in the hospital.

     (10) No such device shall be used until approval has been granted by the board, and no change in the location of the device or in the registered pharmacist responsible for stocking the device shall be made without prior written notice to the board. No such device shall be removed from the licensed premises without prior approval of the board.

     (11) As used in this section, a "pharmacist in the employ of the hospital" shall not include any pharmacist who is, or is employed by, a manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, or itinerant vendor of drugs or medicines.

     (12) Each and every device approved by the board shall be issued a certificate of location. Such certificate must be conspicuously displayed on the device and contain the following:

     (a) Name and address of the hospital

     (b) Name of the registered pharmacist who is to be responsible for stocking the device

     (c) Location of the device in the hospital

     (d) Manufacturer's name of the device and the serial number of the device.

     (13) Upon any malfunction the device shall not be used until the malfunction has been corrected.

     (14) A copy of this regulation shall be attached to each and every device certified by the board of pharmacy.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 18.64.005. 92-12-035 (Order 277B), § 246-869-120, filed 5/28/92, effective 6/28/92. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.64.005 and chapter 18.64A RCW. 91-18-057 (Order 191B), recodified as § 246-869-120, filed 8/30/91, effective 9/30/91; Regulation 47, filed 12/1/65.]