Preparedness of Pharmaceutical Services in Military Organizations: Learning from an Assessment in Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: The participation of armed forces in humanitarian operations and in disaster response is common in many countries. In Brazil, the armed forces have had history in providing health support to victims in emergencies, which also includes the provision of pharmaceutical services (PS). PROBLEM: Even though being essential for the provision of health care in disaster response, the preparedness of PS is not well-addressed in the literature. The use of a comprehensive approach to evaluate preparedness of PS in military institutions may subsidize preparedness measures. The goals of this work were to analyze the preparedness of PS for disaster response and humanitarian aid in military units of a Brazilian armed force institution, and to propose a framework to improve the preparedness of PS in operational medicine. METHODS: An investigation of a cross-sectional design was performed. A logic model and indicators to evaluate preparedness of PS were applied. Data were obtained from official documents, interviews with key stakeholders, and observation of good storage practices (GSP). RESULTS: Identified were: lack of specific budget for medicine procurement in case of disaster, absence of emergency stockpile, proper means for medicine transportation, and records of trained health professionals. An emergency plan, a list of selected medicines, adaptable mobile health care units, and a system for mobilization of health professionals were some of the positive aspects recognized. Different aspects for improvement were acknowledged and recommendations to favor the efficiency and the quality of PS in emergencies were proposed. CONCLUSIONS: The investigation provided valuable results for the planning and execution of responses to disasters and humanitarian aid. The findings and proposed recommendations may be useful for other military organizations similar to those in Brazil.