How Pharmacist Can Protect Themselves Against Covid-19

Pharmacists are part of essential staff working at various sectors fighting covid-19. Those in the industry are working with the virus searching for a drug or vaccine that will offer cure. Those in the regulatory sectors work with those in the industry coordinating their research.

The other sets are the hospital and community pharmacy. The hospital pharmacy works with front line medical doctors sometimes solving puzzles of this new disease. Community pharmacies attend to people who want simple over-the- counter drugs (OTC) or prescription only medicine (POM).

Pharmacists in all sectors are exposed to covid-19. However, the degree of exposure varies. Industrial pharmacists work with, in most cases, killing viruses and they usually wear full personal protective equipment (PPE). Same goes to regulatory pharmacists. However, this is not the case with hospitals and community pharmacies that deal with both Covid-19 patients and patients whose health status is not known.

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Many people do not consider pharmacists as front line staff. That is because in most cases they don't interact with patients. That Is true in some settings. But there are hospital pharmacists who join medical doctors in ward rounds. They are exposed to covid-19 in such situations.

But the focus is on hospitals and community pharmacists that attend to prescription and OTC. The floor of the pharmacy was never structured with social distancing in mind. Nobody ever suspected that in 2020, a virus will punish close contact. Now, it is left for the pharmacist to design the pharmacy with the reality on ground.

Generally, the world health organization (WHO) has given specific guidelines on how to prevent covid-19 infection. Applying these measures on the pharmacy floor requires careful planning. One rule of thumb is to treat all patients as covid-19.

How To Protect The Pharmacy

Washing hands with soap and running water is the gold standard. That means the washing sink should be easily accessible. I have seen a couple of buildings designing new sinks in new places to encourage this because many sinks are far away. If possible, two sinks should be designed. One for people and the other for staff. Staff should wash their hands after sharing anything with patients, including touching patient prescription cards. Patients on the other hand should wash immediately when they enter the premises. If that is not available, please make available an alcohol based hand sanitizer.

Source: Kristoffer Stewart / Green Light Pharmacy

Providing floor markings can help patients understand where they should stand in the pharmacy to ensure appropriate social distancing

Social distancing is one of the key prevention methods. But it is very difficult to observe it in a community pharmacy. However, it can still be done. Some use the tape or marker to indicate where patients should stay depending on what they want at the pharmacy. Place a plexiglass or clear plastic sheet between the people and staff to prevent droplets from passing through. A little hole is enough for receiving package drugs. This move may seem rather harsh. Some community pharmacies closed their front door to people directing them to the window. The window may contain a small hole with a shield. 

Community pharmacies that did not follow this route should plan an instruction for the people to see on how to stand on the premises. People who want drugs can be 3 feets from staff while those coughing should maintain a distance of 6 feets using a clear inscription where the position is. That means they will need to read aloud their prescription. This helps to prevent touching those prescription sheets. But that will reduce privacy and confidentiality of information. Also, many prescriptions are handwritten and difficult for patients to read. In that case, they should drop the sheet on the counter or prescription box like a safe box and move backwards.

Indicate where patients should stay from the others to give way for social distancing between patients. Some pharmacy restrict the number of customers that are allowed inside the floor of the pharmacy at any given time.

Now online pharmacy is the order of the day. This reduces physical contact. Encourage very sick people to use online platforms. Let them send their prescription through online with a photograph of the sheet. Or advise them to send their friends or family members to get their drugs for them.

Surface decontamination is very important. Since the virus can survive on many surfaces for hours, it is recommended that surfaces should be decontaminated every hour or 10 patients whichever one comes first. This prevents contamination.

It may be difficult to have full PPE access. This is due to the fact that they are expensive and disposable. But one PPE all pharmacists should adopt is the use of facemask. Eyeglass is an added advantage. However, staff should not wear ties and use short leave clothes and avoid metal accessories such as wristwatches that may provide a suitable surface for the covid-19 virus to survive. Short leave clothes encourage regular hand washing.

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When the floor of the pharmacy is small and staffs are much, rotate staffs. Two or three staffs on duty well space will do. This will ensure they maintain some level of distance between staff. Monitor staff for any infection. It is good to check their temperature every shift. Give staff flexible leave when they or their family members are sick.

Encourage patients to stock OTC at home. Do not give patients their package drugs in their hands. Instead put it on the counter for them to pick up to avoid close contact. Encourage the use of an online payment platform. When that is not possible, place a money box where customers put money and move back. Same thing should be done to prescription sheets.

The use of social media or websites to update customers on opening hours, safety tips and symptoms of covid-19 including what to do when infected can help. Vulnerable staff should not have direct contact with patients.

Remember, stay alive to save life.

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