How frequently must night cabinet inventories be performed in hospital pharmacies?

In hospital pharmacies, performing night cabinet inventories at least once per week is essential for maintaining proper control over the medications stored in these cabinets. Night cabinets typically contain medications that are readily accessible for use after regular pharmacy hours, making it crucial to ensure that what is stored aligns with recordkeeping.

Weekly inventories help to prevent discrepancies between the physical stock and inventory records, mitigate the risk of diversion or misuse of controlled substances, and ensure that patient safety is prioritized by confirming the availability of necessary medications. Regular oversight ultimately contributes to effective medication management and compliance with regulations governing pharmacy practices in Georgia.

In contrast, performing inventories less frequently, such as monthly or every 90 days, might not provide sufficient oversight, increasing the potential for errors or misuse to go unnoticed. Thus, the choice of conducting inventories no less than once per week ensures a robust monitoring system is in place, aligning with best practices in pharmacy operations.