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IMPLEMENTATION OF A SAFE EXTERNAL DISPENSING SYSTEM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN A REFERRAL HOSPITAL

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European Statement

Clinical Pharmacy Services

Author(s)

MARINA CORRALES PAZ, CLAUDIA RODRIGUEZ MORETA, INMACULADA LOMARES MANZANO, ANA GANFORNINA ANDRADES

Why was it done?

Due to the health crisis caused by the SARS-COV-2 virus, many hospitals have seen
the necessity to implement a safe dispensing system (telepharmacy) to provide medication to
high risk patients and those infected with Covid-19 in order to prevent interrupting their
treatments.

What was done?

To implement a system that guarantees a sure and effective supply of medical treatments to those vulnerable patients, those at increased risk or with difficult access to the hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.

How was it done?

A database was created with those patients attending our hospital’s outpatient service(OS)to pick up their medication within the next 7 days, verifying through pharmaceutical software and the patient’s medical history records (MHR)their next dispensing date. After checking if the patient had a medical appointmentthat could coincide with the dispensing date, a phone interview was conducted with the patient to schedule the pick-up of the medication through theOS or by telepharmacy(patients’ consent was requiredto use their personal information and we asked how the treatment was going). In our case the patients could pick-up their medication in the referral hospital (RH), a newly created OS in an affiliate hospital or by telepharmacy toprevent the collapse of the hospitals. We registered: number of patients attended in RH, new OS or by telepharmacy and number of dispensations. Patients were grouped in areas based on their city and delivery date for telepharmacy and in the case of patients picking up their own medication they were made an appointment.

What has been achieved?

During the months the state of emergency was in place in Spain (March 14th– June 21st)3385 patients were attended in total and 9316 medicationswere dispensed. 2245(66.3%) patients were attended in the RH (5794 dispensations), 583(17.2%) patients were attended through the new OS (1436 dispensations) and the rest 557(16.5%) had their medication sent to their address (2086 dispensations).

What next?

A safe and effective dispensing system was achieved to outpatients during the Covid-19 pandemic through the implementation of a new telepharmacymethod and the establishment of a new OSthat allows convenient dispensation of medication while minimising the risk of virus spread.

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