Pharmacists’ roles in emergency and disasters: COVID-19 as an example
Autor
Aburas, Wejdan
Alshammari, Thamir M.
Institución
Resumen
Background: Emergencies and disasters are major threats to health care systems. Coronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is at the center of a recent emergency situation that requires increased
attention from health care professionals, including pharmacists. This study was aimed at
providing an overview of pharmacists’ roles in disasters and formulating a definition of expected
roles and tasks through which they can perform these roles properly.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted utilizing a literature search performed on the
Medline, EMBASE and PubMed databases. The last search occurred on 14 July 2020. Data were
extracted and recorded on a data extraction sheet by the reviewers, then categorized using the
prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery (PPRR) model. Study quality was evaluated
using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) checklist.
Results: Twelve articles addressing pharmacists’ roles in disasters were included. Of these, three
addressed pharmacists’ roles during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pharmacists’ roles in the
prevention of emergencies, including COVID-19, are focused on chronic disease medication
supply and education. Regarding pharmacists’ preparedness to perform their roles in disasters,
they were more focused on health policy and population health planning, especially regarding the
COVID-19 pandemic. Direct patient care continues to support patients through medication availability, and pharmacists’ clinical roles are examples of their response to disasters. In
addition, pharmacists have an important role in disaster recovery that involves several activities,
such as restocking emergency kits and reestablishing normal stock. Studies were generally of a
reasonable quality. However, some limitations were noted among studies, and higher quality
studies that contribute to existing knowledge are needed.
Conclusion: Health care systems’ utilization of pharmacists’ new roles can result in a wellprepared disaster response, as observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pharmacists’
engagement in decision-making processes and adequate demonstration of pharmacists’
nontraditional roles in the literature can facilitate the health care community’s acceptance of such
roles.