OBJECTIVE To optimize the drug placement layout， reduce pharmacists’ dispensing time， and improve the work efficiency of the inpatient pharmacy. METHODS An ABC-CVA classification method was constructed. The ABC classification was first employed to categorize drugs into three groups [A （high frequency)， B （medium frequency）， and C （low frequency）] based on drug usage frequency. Subsequently， the CVA （Critical Value Analysis） method was applied to further classify drugs with low frequency （mainly category C） but requiring urgent use （e.g.， emergency drugs） or occupying large space. RESULTS After optimizing the drug placement layout based on this method， the average daily dispensing time for long-term prescriptions across three major wards （internal medicine， surgery， and intensive care unit） was shortened by （14.7±4.9） min. The optimized average daily dispensing time in each ward was significantly lower than that before optimization， and all differences were statistically significant （ P ＜0.001）. CONCLUSIONS The established ABC-CVA classification method can precisely facilitate the optimization of drug layout in inpatient pharmacies， significantly improve pharmacists’ dispensing efficiency， and enhance the service quality of inpatient pharmacies.