RESUMO
PURPOSE: To describe our hospital pharmacy department's preparation for an influx of critically ill patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and offer guidance on clinical pharmacy services preparedness for similar crisis situations. SUMMARY: Personnel within the department of pharmacy at a medical center at the US epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic proactively prepared a staffing and pharmacotherapeutic action plan in anticipation of an expected surge in admissions of critically ill patients with COVID-19 and expansion of acute care and intensive care unit (ICU) capacity. Guidance documents focusing on supportive care and pharmacotherapeutic treatment options were developed. Repurposing of non-ICU-trained clinical pharmacotherapy specialists to work collaboratively with clinician teams in ICUs was quickly implemented; staff were prepared for these duties through use of shared tools to facilitate education and practice standardization. CONCLUSION: As challenges were encountered at the initial peak of the pandemic, interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork was crucial to ensure that all patients were proactively assessed and that their respective pharmacotherapeutic regimens were optimized.
Assuntos
Tratamento Farmacológico da COVID-19 , Conduta do Tratamento Medicamentoso/normas , Farmacêuticos/organização & administração , Serviço de Farmácia Hospitalar/normas , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Cuidados Críticos/organização & administração , Cuidados Críticos/normas , Estado Terminal , Planejamento em Desastres/organização & administração , Planejamento em Desastres/normas , Emergências , Humanos , Unidades de Terapia Intensiva/organização & administração , Unidades de Terapia Intensiva/normas , Conduta do Tratamento Medicamentoso/organização & administração , Pandemias/prevenção & controle , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/organização & administração , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/normas , Serviço de Farmácia Hospitalar/organização & administração , Guias de Prática Clínica como Assunto , Papel Profissional , Recursos Humanos/organização & administração , Recursos Humanos/normasRESUMO
PURPOSE: To describe our medical center's pharmacy services preparedness process and offer guidance to assist other institutions in preparing for surges of critically ill patients such as those experienced during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. SUMMARY: The leadership of a department of pharmacy at an urban medical center in the US epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic proactively created a pharmacy action plan in anticipation of a surge in admissions of critically ill patients with COVID-19. It was essential to create guidance documents outlining workflow, provide comprehensive staff education, and repurpose non-intensive care unit (ICU)-trained clinical pharmacotherapy specialists to work in ICUs. Teamwork was crucial to ensure staff safety, develop complete scheduling, maintain adequate drug inventory and sterile compounding, optimize the electronic health record and automated dispensing cabinets to help ensure appropriate prescribing and effective management of medication supplies, and streamline the pharmacy workflow to ensure that all patients received pharmacotherapeutic regimens in a timely fashion. CONCLUSION: Each hospital should view the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to internally review and enhance workflow processes, initiatives that can continue even after the resolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.
