Leaders in pharmacy have used their knowledge, their roles in interdisciplinary teams, and technology to rethink responses to long-standing difficulties aggravated by the pandemic quickly.
Fremont, CA: Over the last decade, pharmacists have broadened their clinical scope and become more resilient in the face of a slew of regulatory storms, with COVID-19 serving as a significant turning point. The virus wreaked havoc on the pharmaceutical supply chain, exacerbating existing medicine shortages, affecting inventory management, and requiring new USP compliance issues. Leaders in pharmacy have used their knowledge, their roles in interdisciplinary teams and technology to quickly rethink responses to long-standing difficulties aggravated by the pandemic.
Drug shortages and pharmaceutical inventory management issues are not new. The pandemic provided a unique chance for pharmacists to plan ahead of time because the initial case surge was not widespread. However, supply chain flaws are prompting fears that the next drug or supply shortfall will become an everyday occurrence.
Here are three strategies hospital pharmacists can implement when facing a shortage:
Make a list of critical drugs and supplies and take inventory regularly
Identify baseline usage rates and re-evaluate as habits or acuity change. Technology, such as inventory management systems or shared databases, can help boost insight into what's accessible across different sites and open up consolidation options.
Identify available drug alternatives
Proactively seek approvals for clinical alternatives and research/secure alternate vendors. Prepare alternative therapies based on the list of essential pharmaceuticals and obtain authorization for bi-directional interchanges based on the items available.
Consider the operational impact of changes on the interdisciplinary team
A change in pharmaceutical benefits can sometimes have an impact on nursing and vice versa. When making adjustments, there aren't always options, but if there are, examine the ramifications and express the reasoning behind the decision whenever possible.
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