Final answer:
The Medicare conditions of participation require hospitals to ensure a full time pharmacist supervises pharmacy activities and that drugs are stored securely. Reporting drug administration errors to the FDA is not explicitly required under these conditions. The role of the FDA is to regulate drug safety and effectiveness, and pharmacists with a doctorate degree play a key role in this system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Medicare conditions of participation for hospitals set out a number of requirements to ensure that patient care is safe and meets a certain standard. These conditions include the mandate for a full time pharmacist to supervise and coordinate pharmacy activities, ensuring that the medication management system is effective and secure. It is also required that drugs and biologicals be stored safely, typically in a locked area to prevent unauthorized access. However, drug administration errors are not specifically mandated to be reported to the FDA, but hospitals have their internal incident reporting systems to monitor and analyze such events. The FDA does have a role in regulating medicines, as it ensures the safety and efficacy of the drugs sold in the United States, which sometimes requires extensive testing before a drug can be marketed. Pharmacists, who must hold a doctorate in pharmacy in the U.S., play a critical role in this process by dispensing drugs and advising on their use.