Abstract

PHARMACISTS AS HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS WITH MULTI TASK RESPONSIBILITIES DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The COVID-19 pandemic presently, is a major public health problem worldwide and some of the common symptoms include headache, fever, cough, breathing problem and fatigue. When severity increases it can progress to serious illness, such as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, multi organ dysfunction and even death. The public must follow COVID-19 protocol to decrease the transmission of the virus through social distancing, wearing masks and strict hand hygiene. To safeguard the millions of people from COVID-19 pandemic infection, health workers are on the frontline against it. As healthcare professionals, pharmacists can perform significant role during this pandemic. Around the world, pharmacists are working on the frontlines of health care every day providing essential health care services throughout the pandemic. They can directly interact with the community, continue to care for patients with chronic diseases, work in hospital pharmacies and provide pharmaceutical care to COVID-19 patients. They can provide reliable information for preventing, detecting, treating and managing coronavirus infections. Pharmacists engaged in health sectors are associated to patients either directly or indirectly. They can act fast in public health warranting effective medicine supply, checking and undertaking drug shortage issues, establishing and promoting remote pharmacy services, counseling the public on basics of prevention of infection, discouraging self-medication, educating about proper use of personal protective equipment, small-scale manufacturing of sanitizers and disinfectants, directing drug evaluation and active investigation and many more. These participations will help ease incomparable burden on healthcare services during the ongoing pandemic. Community pharmacists are the most available healthcare practitioners, who can reduce the burden on the healthcare system through triaging and screening patients. They can play various roles in supporting the healthcare system during COVID-19 by delivering medications to patients, educating patients on telehealth services, assessing patients for renewal of chronic medications, clarifying misconceptions about COVID-19 treatments, and contributing to COVID-19 screening. Hospital pharmacists play a vital role in managing the medication therapies of patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19 or related illnesses. They also help to care for patients with underlying chronic medical conditions that can make them more vulnerable to infections.