HOME DELIVERY OF DRUGS, A DISPENSING SYSTEM THAT HAS COME TO STAY

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Author(s)

Ignacio Salar Valverde, Maria García Coronel, Consolacion Pastor Mondéjar, Mayte Gil Candel, Iris Muñoz Garcia, Carles Iniesta Navalon, Elena Urbieta Sanz

Why was it done?

This project was carried out to avoid the possibility of contagion by SARS-CoV-2 when going to collect the medication. The circuit began at the end of March and the month of April 2020.

What was done?

Send the hospital dispensing medication to the patient’s home.

How was it done?

The first step was to specify the patient was considered at risk for SARS-CoV-2, in the end, patients over 65 years of age or immunosuppressed were considered at risk.
The second step was what order to follow to select and evaluate candidate patients for home delivery, for which the solution was simple, it was decided to follow the order of the pharmacy agenda for the collection of medication. The SELENE® electronic medical record program was used to evaluate the patient’s risk.
The third step was to contact him by phone, to check if there was a possibility of collecting the medication by a family member / caregiver, and if not, confirm a delivery address.
The last step was the preparation of the medication in the proper conditions of conservation and identified with the name and address of the patient. Shipments were organized from the pharmacy service. Patients were given an appointment in the pharmacy agenda for the next shipment.

What has been achieved?

There were 139 home deliveries of medication, 47 in March and 92 in April. Around 139 telephone calls were made, they are not counted, not all patients could be contacted in the first attempt, and up to three attempts were made per patient.
The majority, 124 shipments, were made through the service that the hospital made available to them, except for 13 that were made through the Red-Cross and 2 through Civil-Protection.

What next?

Although the delivery of medication at home and was already carried out in some pharmacy services, because of the pandemic it has spread to the rest of the hospitals in our country.
This service should be maintained, despite its cost, for patients who meet a series of criteria, which must be established and agreed upon. In addition, a telephone follow-up should be carried out on the patients that we send the medication to their home.