Abstract
BackgroundThe role of sports pharmacists is being emphasized in international athletic events. This study aimed to describe the pharmacy services for the 2019 Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) World Masters Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.MethodResearch focused on athletes and coaching staff who received medications after visiting medical centers and pharmacies located in the athletes’ village from July 5 to July 29, 2019. We collected daily results of pharmacy operation and prescription interventions. The data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel, and were expressed as frequency (%).ResultsThroughout the tournament, 633 patients received medication at the athletes’ village pharmacy (gender: 338 men [53.4%], 295 women [46.6%]; nationality: 299 Korean [47.2%], 334 overseas players [52.8%]; patient type: 150 athletes [23.7%], 427 non-athletes [67.5%]). Therapy for musculoskeletal disorders was the most common (n = 29, 19.3%), and oral NSAIDs (n = 56, 22.0%) were the most frequently dispensed medication in athletes. Pharmacists intervened for 47 out of 491 prescriptions (9.6%), with dosage change (n = 21, 44.7%) being the most common intervention type.ConclusionSports pharmacists at FINA World Masters Championships played a pivotal role in ensuring the safe usage of medications by all participants, especially athletes. This study results will be a useful reference for pharmacy services at future international or domestic sports competitions.
Highlights
Sports pharmacy is an evolving specialty within pharmacy practice and the role of sports pharmacists in sports medicine has been emphasized
Recruitment of pharmacists and pre‐education courses The Gwangju Pharmaceutical Association, which was the main operator of pharmacy service for the 2019 Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) World Masters Championships, had employed three fulltime pharmacists to provide pharmacy service
In current study, the activities and achievement of a pharmacy were recorded during the 2019 FINA World Masters Championships, Gwangju, South Korea
Summary
Sports pharmacy is an evolving specialty within pharmacy practice and the role of sports pharmacists in sports medicine has been emphasized. Some sports pharmacy operations have been reported in major international athletic competitions [1,2,3,4]. Sports pharmacists are responsible for providing drug education, information services, and counseling on anti-doping to athletes, coaches, and the public, as well as injury management and prevention, and first aid at all levels of competition. An expert sports pharmacist especially requires knowledge of the World Anti-Doping Agency [5] banned drugs and supplements for providing appropriate pharmacotherapeutic recommendations. The role of sports pharmacists is being emphasized in international athletic events. This study aimed to describe the pharmacy services for the 2019 Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) World Masters Championships in Gwangju, South Korea
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