Study of the pharmacist role in ensuring of quarantine measures during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The pharmacist as a member of the medical team is responsible for the life and health of the population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with the recommendations of WHO and  FIP, 2020. According to the WHO, 82% of patients with COVID-19 are treated by a family doctors and receive pharmaceutical care at the nearest pharmacies, but this can lead to unwanted contact between infected and healthy people, as well as contact with a pharmacist when dispensing drugs, which can lead to COVID-19 infection. Compliance with quarantine measures in accordance with the Resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers and Orders of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in pharmacies is an important component of overall safety during a pandemic, and the role of pharmacists in preventing the COVID-19 pandemic is important. The aim of this study was to conduct an expert evaluation of the effectiveness of quarantine measures due to the orders of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in pharmacies. The sample of 586 experts included pharmacists, heads of pharmacies in 6 regions of Ukraine: Lviv, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia, Khmelnytsky, Chernivtsi. According to a specially developed questionnaire «Assessment of the effectiveness of quarantine measures in the pharmacy at COVID-19» pharmacists were interviewed during March-October 2020. Methods of face-to-face questionnaires, interviews with the help of information and communication technologies, methods of generalization and systematization are used. According to the results of the analysis of 586 questionnaires, the respondents were ranked according to the parameters: specialty, work experience, qualification category. It was found that in 97.5% of pharmacies quarantine measures were implemented in March, in 2.5% pharmacies were in April 2020. The results of the pharmacists' survey show that the most effective quarantine measures are: wearing a protective mask (99.0%), washing hands and using disinfectants (97.0%), maintaining a social distance between visitors and pharmacy staff, as well as visitors to each other 1.5 m (94.5%), washingof pharmacy surfaces and floors with disinfectant solutions (91.0%), ventilation of pharmacy rooms (89.5%). Systematization of these questionnaires showed that 100% of pharmacists consider it necessary and prospective the approval by Ministry of Health of Ukraine a separate «Protocol of the pharmacist for the release of medicines and medical devices for the treatment of uncomplicated forms of coronavirus infection COVID-19» to optimize pharmaceutical care. Pharmacist as member of the medical team during the COVID-19 pandemic should conduct educational work among the population to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.