Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in China in December 2019 which was later declared to be a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). This virus proved to be very contagious resulting in life-threatening respiratory intricacies posing overall public health and governance challenges. Amid the coronavirus pandemic and the unprecedented increase in healthcare demands, only inventive and adaptive practice among healthcare professionals is the need of the hour. Pharmacy services are an important mainstay in the public health and have considerable potential to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Pharmacists working in several localities and health facilities are linked to patients either directly or indirectly. They can act swiftly in public health response such as drafting professional service guidance to pharmacists working in various healthcare facilities, ensuring effective medicine supply system, monitoring and resolving drug shortage issues, establishing and promoting remote pharmacy services, counseling the public on infection prevention basics, educating about proper use of personal protective equipment, discouraging self-medication, participating in clinical trials, small-scale manufacturing of sanitizers and disinfectants, busting the prevailing myths, and conducting drug evaluation and active surveillance. These interventions will help ease unprecedented burden on healthcare facilities during the ongoing pandemic and eventually will add value to patients and the healthcare system. The current manuscript accentuates the potential roles and activities that pharmacists can initiate in various healthcare facilities to help in relieving pressure on the overwhelmed healthcare system. The information and suggestions offered in this review could help in the restructuring of existing pharmacy services by governments, public health bodies, and policy makers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, this manuscript will underscore any unrealized potential among pharmacists working in various sectors including community, hospital, industry, and drug regulatory authorities.
Highlights
Pharmacists are one of the most trusted professions worldwide alongside firefighters, nurses, teachers, and doctors [1, 2]
The current review describes the various roles of pharmacists that can be performed during the COVID-19 pandemic to leverage all possible resources in the best interest of patient care and management
The search strategies utilized a combination of the following terms: “COVID-19,” “Corona virus disease,” “pharmacist,” “community pharmacist,” “industrial pharmacist,” “hospital pharmacist,” “drug regulatory authorities,” “regulatory pharmacists,” “pharmaceutical industry,” “pharmacy department,” “severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2,” “pharmacy management,” “pharmaceutical care,” “clinical pharmacist,” “pandemic,” and “outbreak.”
Summary
Pharmacists working in several localities and health facilities are linked to patients either directly or indirectly They can act swiftly in public health response such as drafting professional service guidance to pharmacists working in various healthcare facilities, ensuring effective medicine supply system, monitoring and resolving drug shortage issues, establishing and promoting remote pharmacy services, counseling the public on infection prevention basics, educating about proper use of personal protective equipment, discouraging self-medication, participating in clinical trials, small-scale manufacturing of sanitizers and disinfectants, busting the prevailing myths, and conducting drug evaluation and active surveillance.
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