Pharmacy Administration and Pharmaceutical Care Practice in a Module Hospital during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Abstract Objective To describe the pharmacy administration and pharmaceutical care in a module hospital during COVID-19 epidemic and provide reference for domestic and foreign pharmacists participating in the epidemic prevention and control. Design The new COVID-19 "module" pharmaceutical care model was equipped with new features such as pharmacy emergency command group, organizational structure for pharmacy administration, electronic control of drug prescription, and "zero contact" pharmaceutical care relying on the new media platform "WeChat". This platform provided relevant pharmaceutical care for patients, such as ensuring drug supply, setting up critical care drug trolleys, designing specific drug packaging bags, creating a module radio station to broadcast rational drug use information to the patients, and other aspects. Setting and participants The study was performed in Jianghan module hospital constructed at the Wuhan Convention and Exhibition Center in Wuhan, China. This is one of the first three module hospitals. Outcome measures Pharmacists successfully completed the tasks of purchase, storage, and free distribution of 1033844.3 RMB worth of drugs (about $146,000 US dollars), reviewed about 20,000 electronic orders, provided one-on-one online medication consultation for 484 patients, and held five lectures on rational drug use knowledge, which could help reduce irrational drug use and minimize the risk involved. Results The pharmacists provided pharmaceutical care for 1848 patients with mild COVID-19 disease. They not only ensured the timely supply of the drugs but also reduced the incidence of drug-induced risks through medication review and guidance, thereby improving patient compliance and helping the patients rebuild their confidence in overcoming the disease. Conclusion The new COVID-19 "module" pharmaceutical care model has played an important role in overcoming the epidemic situation of COVID-19 in China and thus can be implemented on a broader scale.