El farmacéutico frente a la logística de dispensación, almacenamiento y conservación segura de medicamentos en unidades asistenciales

In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the Hospital Pharmacy Services�have� quickly adapted to respond to a critical situation characterized by�the constant� and continuous admission of patients with severe pneumonia�who needed� treatment, requiring a transformation of the hospital in order to�increase the� number of hospital and critical beds Moreover, other out-ofhospital�spaces have� been transformed into hospitalization units to absorb�the large number of� patients that had to be treated and isolated �To guarantee the distribution of� medicines and the quality of the pharmaceutical�care, drug distribution systems,� such as unit dose and automated�dispensing systems, have undergone� transformations Standard stocks�were assigned for COVID units, and different� dispensing circuits to avoid�the risk of cross-contamination between COVID and� non-COVID units were�created, as well as disinfection protocols for medication� transport systems�and medication return protocols All this without forgetting� COVID treatment�protocol's changes that were affected by the availability of the� drugs �The increase in the number of beds in out-of-hospital spaces, such�as� field hospitals, hotels, socio-medical centers and nursing homes, has�challenged� Pharmacy Services, since new medication dispensing and�conciliation circuits� have been created forcing the increase of pharmacy�staff's presence and� modifying work shifts, to afford all the new tasks�successfully Development of� contingency plans for the different Pharmacy Service activities and providing� fluent communication channels are key elements for crisis situations or health� emergencies such as the current pandemic