Pharmacy Department management and organization

Abstract

The WHO declared the SARS- CoV-2 outbreak a pandemic in March 11, 2020. Spain has been the third country with the highest number of reported cases of COVID-19. In the face of the pandemic, the authorities of the Autonomous Community of Madrid led an unprecedented transformation of hospital services by increasing the number of beds available, setting up temporary field hospitals in fairgrounds, and transforming hotels into support centers for patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19.In the light that this crisis will continue to be a real threat for the years to come, our hospital pharmacies need to be better prepared for similar outbreaks in the future.During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Hospital Pharmacy of Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Maranon has faced four challenges: an exponential increase in the demand for resources, constant changes to therapeutic protocols and approaches, regulatory changes, and a dramatic impact on hospital staff (strain on human resources and psychological impact).This article is aimed at describing the main organizational changes implemented to the Department of Hospital Pharmacy of Hospital GU Gregorio Maranon and its relationship with other hospital pharmacies of the Community of Madrid. An account is provided of the strategies to be adopted for reorganizing a Department of Hospital Pharmacy and achieve a safe and effective use of medications. Strategies range from the creation of integral hospital task groups (COVID-crisis task group, protocolization task group, research task group) to the adaptation of the internal organization of the Department of Hospital Pharmacy, which encompasses aspects related to management and leadership; a communication plan (internal and external); staff management, and the reorganization and adaptation of processes.People, patients and professionals are at the core of these strategies. This paper is a reflection on key factors of “humanization in COVID times”