The role of a Coronavirus disease 2019 pharmacist: an Australian perspective
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COMMENTARY
The role of a Coronavirus disease 2019 pharmacist: an Australian perspective Jenny Nguy1 · Sarah A. Hitchen1 · Adam L. Hort1 · Cindy Huynh1 · Matthew D. M. Rawlins1 Received: 15 April 2020 / Accepted: 23 May 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly impacted healthcare services around the world. Pharmacists are front-line healthcare professionals and integral members of the healthcare team. The deployment of a specialized ‘COVID pharmacist’ within our institution has demonstrated that the skills of the pharmacist can be adapted, expanded and utilized to alleviate the pressure of doctor shortages, reduce healthcare worker exposure to infected patients, contribute to therapeutic decisions and work collaboratively to tackle the challenges faced during this pandemic. This commentary details an Australian hospital pharmacy response to the COVID-19 pandemic, describing the unique clinical and practical contributions made by a specialized COVID pharmacist in our institution. Keywords Australia · COVID-19 · Hospital · Partnered charting · Pharmacist · SARS-CoV-2
Introduction
Australian context
The outbreak of the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in December 2019 has had significant impacts on healthcare systems globally [1, 2]. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on the 30th of January 2020 by the World Health Organization [1]. As of May 15th 2020, there have been 4,307,287 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and 295,101 reported deaths [2]. Australia is amongst the 216 countries, areas or territories that have been affected by this virus [2, 3]. In this commentary, we present an Australian experience of dedicating a clinical pharmacist specifically for managing inpatients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
In Australia, on May 15th 2020, there have been 7,019 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 98 deaths attributed to the virus [3]. The Australian Federal Government has enacted nationwide restrictions on social contact and travel in an attempt to reduce community spread of the virus and reduce pressure on the healthcare system, although individual states and territories have been granted power to determine the exact measures applied locally [4]. COVID-19 testing clinics are established around the country to assess and test, using nasopharyngeal swab, those presenting with respiratory illness symptoms such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, sore throat and fatigue according to national testing criteria for COVID-19 provided by the Department of Health, Australia [5]. A $2.4billion package was announced to ensure all Australians have access to essential care whilst reducing the community’s risk of exposure to the infection [6]. This included funding supported telehealth consultation services, electronic prescribing for general practitioners, online filling of prescriptions via community pharmacies and funding
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