| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Brand-Name Drug | A drug that is covered by a patent and is therefore only available from a single manufacturer. |
| Buccal | A solid medication dosage form that is placed in the pocket between the cheek and gum and absorbed through the cheek into the bloodstream. |
| Centralized Dispensing Automation | Technology that assists in the selection and dispensing of drug products that are located in a central location, such as the pharmacy, and that can include robotics and carousels that use bar code scanning to select and label drug products for patients. |
| Centralized Pharmacy | Pharmacy sirvices that are provided from one location (usually centrally located) in the hospital. Pharmacy personnel, resources, and functions primarily reside within this self-contained location. |
| Cirtification | A voluntary process by which a nongovernmental agency or association grants recognition to an individual who has met cirtain predetermined qualifications specified by that agency or association. |
| Chain Pharmacy | A pharmacy that is part of a large number of corporately owned pharmacies that use the same name and carry similarly branded OTC products. |
| Community Pharmacy | Generally a stand-alone pharmacy located within a community that provides medication services to ambulatory patients. |
| Controlled Substances | Drugs or chemical substances whose possession and use are regulated under the Federal Controlled Substances Act and by state controlled substance laws and regulations. Controlled substances are subject to stricter controls than other drugs. |
| Decentralized Pharmacy | Pharmacy services that are provided on or near a patient care area. These services are often supported by a central pharmacy. A pharmacy sattelite is an example of one form of a decenteralized pharmacy service. |
| Dispensing | The act of preparing a medication for use by a patient as authorized by a prescription. |
| Drug Distribution Services | The system(s) used to distribute medications that begins when the medication is received by the pharmacy and ends when the medication is administered to the patient. |
| Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) | The federal agency that adminusters and enforces federal laws for controlled substances and illegal substances such as narcotics and other dangerous drugs. The DEA is part of the US Department of Justice. |
| Expectorate | To cough up or spit. |
| Generic Drug | A drug that is no longer covered by a patent and is therefore generally available from multiple manufacturers, usually resulting in a significant reduction in cost. |
| Health Insurance Portability and Accountabillity Act (HIPAA) | Federal legislation enacted to establish guidelines for the protection of patients' private health information. |
| Inhalant | A fine powder or solution of a drug delivered as a mist through the mouth into the respiratory tract. |
| Intracardiac | Injected directly into the heart muscle. |
| Intradermal | Injected into the top layers of the skin. |
| Intramuslar | Injected directly into a large muscle mass, such as the uppar arm, thingh, or buttock, and absorbed from the muscle tissue into the bloodstream. |
| Intraperitoneal | Administered into the peritoneal space (abdominal cavity). |
| Intrapleural | Administered into the pleural space, whitch is the sac that surrounds the lungs. |
| Intravenous | Injected directly into a vein and therefore immediately available to act in the body. |
| Legend Drug | A drug that is required by federal law to be dispensed by prescription only. It is the older term for drugs that are now identified as "Rx Only". |
| Licensure | The process by which an angency of the government grants permission to an individual to engage in a given occupation upon finding that the applicant has attained a degree of competency necessary to ensure that public health and safety will be protected. |
| Lozenge | A hard, disk-shaped solid medication dosage form that contains medication in a sugar base, whitch is released as the lozenge is heald in the mouth and sucked. |
| Mail-Order Pharmacy | A pharmacy that functions like a warehouse, with pharmacists and technicians who dispence prescriptions that are mailed to (not picked up by) the patients. |
| Medication Order | A witten, electronic, telephone, or verbal request for a patient medication in an inpatient setting. |
| National Drug Code (NDC) Number | A unique number assigned to each drug, strength, and package size for the purpose of identification. |
| Ointment | A semisolid medication dosage form, applied to the skin or mucous membranes, whitch lubricates and softens or is used as a base for drug delivery. |
| Over-The-Counter (OTC) Drugs | Drugs that are available without a prescription. |
| Parenteral | A route of medication administeation the bypasses the gastrointestinal tract, such as intravenous, intramuscular, or subcutabeous administration. |
| Patient Counseling | The act of educating a patient, by a pharmacist, regarding the proper usr of a prescribed drug, at the time of dispensing. |
| Practice of Pharmacy | The practice of pharmacy is regulated by each state through its pharmacy laws and regulation. These establish the scope of the practice in the particular state, meaning the responsibilities that pharmacists are permitted in that state. |
| Prescription | The witten or verbal authorization, by an authorized prescriber, for the use of a particular pharmaceutical agent for an individual patient. This term also refers to the physical product despensed. |
| Primary Prescription Label | A label, affixed to a dispensed drug product, that contains legally required information. |
| Professional | A person who practices an occupation or vocation that requires advanced specialized training. |
| Professionalism | Actively demonstration the attitudes, qualities, and behaviors of a professional while performing the duties of one's profesion. |
| Registration | The process of making a list or being enrolled in an existing list. A pharmacy technician may be required to be registered with the state board of pharmacy before being able to legally carry out some pharmacy functions. |
| STAT | Abbreviation of the Latin word statim, meaning immediately; commonly used on medication orders to indicate the need for the drug right away. |
| Subcutaneous | Deposited in the tissue just under the skin. |
| Subgingival | Administered via the subgingival space, which is the space between the tooth and gum. |
| Sublingual | Placed under the toung, where it dissolves and is absorbed into the bloodstream. |
| Technician | An individual skilled in the practical or mechanical aspects of a profession. A pharmacy technician assists pharmacists by performing routine, day-to-day functions of the practice of pharmacy that do not require the judgement of a pharmacist. |
| Topical | Applied to the skin, mucous membranes, or other external parts of the body, such as fingernails, toenails, and hair. |
| Transdermal | Through the skin; percutaneous. |
