Pharmacy Emergency Preparedness and Response (PEPR): a proposed framework for expanding pharmacy professionals’ roles and contributions to emergency preparedness and response during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists have long been involved in public health and emergency preparedness and response (EP&R), including through preventive measures such as screening, vaccinations, testing and pharmaceutical countermeasures, as well as ensuring medication safety and access during natural disasters and pandemics. Pharmacy professionals are considered essential partners in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Community and hospital pharmacies are expanding services and hours to provide essential services, putting pharmacists and their co-workers at the frontlines for patient care and safety to improve public health. In addition, pharmacy professionals are increasingly integrating into global, national, state and local EP&R efforts, including into interprofessional teams, such as Medical Reserve Corps (MRCs). However, lacunae exist for further integration of pharmacists into public health and safety initiatives. There are increasing opportunities and recommendations that should be expanded upon to provide improved patient care and population health intervention, and to ensure healthcare worker and public health safety.

WITHDRAWN: Community pharmacists: On the frontline of health service against COVID-19 in LMICs

“…Pharmacists have contributed to improving public health in a variety of ways, including immunizations, health promotion, health education, patient and medication counseling, medication reconciliation, disease self-management training, point-of-care testing, screenings, and Emergency preparedness and response in disaster management. 31 The incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases has decreased dramatically in recent decades. The incidence of influenza (flu), pneumococcal disease and herpes zoster has been substantially reduced thanks to vaccination.…”

Community Pharmacists: On the frontline of health service against COVID-19 in LMICs

“…Pharmacists have contributed to improving public health in a variety of ways, including immunizations, health promotion, health education, patient and medication counseling, medication reconciliation, disease self-management training, point-of-care testing, screenings, and emergency preparedness and response in disaster management. 22 The incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases has decreased dramatically in recent decades. The incidence of influenza (flu), pneumococcal disease and herpes zoster has been substantially reduced thanks to vaccination.…”

COVID-19: Needs assessment of the pharmacy profession and contributions so far across the Commonwealth

“…Additionally, there were responses from 111 pharmacy students from 7 countries. India (76), Tanzania (27), Bangladesh (2), Uganda (2), Zambia (2), Pakistan (1) and the UK (1). Over half of the respondents were in the age range of 25-44 years old, with the majority having less than 10 years of experience.…”

“…CPA has also contributed to the advocacy papers ahead of the (postponed) biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that was set to take place in Kigali in Kigali, Rwanda on [22][23][24][25][26][27] June 2020. These efforts seek to raise the pro le of the profession alongside issues that need to be brought to the attention of policy makers relating to medicines and progressing towards Universal Health Coverage.…”