The EAHP Board, elected for three-year terms, oversees the association’s activities. Comprising directors responsible for core functions, it meets regularly to implement strategic goals. Supported by EAHP staff, the Board controls finances, coordinates congress organization, and ensures compliance with statutes and codes of conduct.
OPIOIDS STOCK OPTIMISATION UTILISING AUTOMATIC DISPENSING SYSTEMS DURING AND AFTER COVID-19 PANDEMIC
European Statement
Selection, Procurement and Distribution
Author(s)
MARINA RODRÍGUEZ MARÍN, HILARIO MARTÍNEZ BARROS, MARÍA DEL ROSARIO PINTOR RECUENCO, BEATRIZ MONTERO LLORENTE, ANA MARÍA ÁLVAREZ DÍAZ
Why was it done?
It was done in order to optimize opioids stock to meet the needs of COVID-19 patients and protocolize the correct quarantine without modifying the computerized registration in the 39 ADS.
What was done?
A procedure was implemented to optimize the stock and manage the quarantine of opioids in Automatic Dispensing Systems (ADS) during and after their use in hospital units hosting COVID patients.
How was it done?
As hospitalization units were being adapted to host COVID-19 patients, opioids stock had to be modified to meet their new demands. Reversely, when hospitalization units were recovered to host their usual type of patient, the opioids had to be replaced and quarantined for ten days, according to our Preventive Medicine Unit. All these movements were recorded.
We followed this process:
1. Physical and computerized unloading of opioids without dispensing in recent months and emptying of the returned drawer (storage space for opioids withdrawn from the ADS which were not used).
2. Relocation to hospitalization units hosting COVID-19 patients,
3. Replacement of all (minidrawers) where opioids were kept with clean ones
4. Quarantine in the Pharmacy Service, for the drugs unloaded which were unable to be immediately relocated.
5. Cleaning and sanitizing of the removed minidrawers from COVID-19 hospitalization units’ ADS to be used in the next conversion.
What has been achieved?
29 ADS of the 39 available in the hospital were optimized.
Given the decreased in COVID-19 admissions during May, the hospital made a schedule to return to normality which allowed to leave 5 ADS in quarantine without the need to unload or replace any drug,. The other 24 ADS had to be cleaned and disinfected,. It led to the physical unloading of 182 specialties (a total of 1,519 units), the physical and computerized unloading of 124 specialties (850 units) and the emptying of the returned drawers (18 specialties and 20 units). 504 minidrawers were replaced by other cleaned and disinfected ones and 298 specialties (2,080 units) were replaced.
What next?
Enhancing our protocol to allow us to spend more time with the patients in Covid’s further waives.