Pharmacists will be on the front line as the coronavirus crisis unfolds. Here's the latest advice and developments as they happen from The Pharmaceutical Journal team.
Features
Everything you should know about the coronavirus outbreak
The latest information about the novel coronavirus identified in Wuhan, China, and advice on how pharmacists can help concerned patients and the public.
Isolated, but not alone: how pharmacies are supporting older patients during COVID-19
Community pharmacy is providing a vital connection to support older and clinically vulnerable patients during lockdown in the UK.
Pharmacy — one of the driving forces behind the COVID-19 emergency hospitals
The temporary field hospitals set up across the UK to help the NHS cope during the COVID-19 pandemic have given hospital pharmacists a unique opportunity for valuable learning and teamwork.
Are pharmacy teams being protected against COVID-19?
When Public Health England published new guidance on the use of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic on 2 April 2020, pharmacy’s representative bodies thought the battle was won.
The hunt for an effective treatment for COVID-19
As researchers around the globe drop everything to find a treatment for COVID-19, we look at the likely frontrunners for managing this deadly disease.
Infographic
Targeting COVID-19: the drugs being fast-tracked through clinical trials and how they work
The NHS is rapidly enrolling patients into studies as part of a focused international effort to find medicines that will interfere with viral replication or help modulate the immune system response.
The race to stop COVID-19
As a new strain of coronavirus threatens public health systems across the globe, researchers are racing to develop a vaccine.
Learning
Community management of pneumonia and suspected COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding the differences between viral and bacterial pneumonia, and how adult patients can be managed as they recover at home.
How to keep your community pharmacy running during the COVID-19 pandemic
How pharmacists can implement guidance and best practice in response to the rapidly changing COVID-19 pandemic to ensure patient and staff safety, as well as the approaches pharmacy teams across the UK are taking in response to the virus.
Q&A
Leyla Hannbeck: ‘COVID-19 has many pharmacies struggling to keep their heads above water’
The chief executive officer of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies speaks about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected pharmacy and the risk of impending closures.
News blog
COVID-19 LATEST: Pharmacy bid for extra COVID-19 funding submitted to government
All the most important developments in the COVID-19 pandemic for pharmacists and their teams, as they happen.
Research briefings
Corticosteroids should be used with caution in patients with COVID-19, researchers say
Renin-angiotensin system inhibitors not linked to COVID-19 severity, researchers conclude
Neurological symptoms common in COVID-19 patients, researchers say
Myocardial injury associated with increased risk of death from COVID-19, research suggests
Unclear if antiretrovirals help against COVID-19, initial assessment concludes
COVID-19 death rate under 1% when unconfirmed cases considered, researchers estimate
Smoking linked to progression of symptoms in COVID-19, study suggests
SARS-CoV-2 can survive on some surfaces for days, research reveals
Patients with mild cases of COVID-19 may shed virus for up to eight days after symptoms resolve
Editorial
Pharmacy must change as a result of COVID-19, or be left behind
The pharmacy sector must not underestimate the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will transform the NHS.
Serology testing for COVID-19 is the way forward, but we could face a long wait
While news of imminent serology testing is incredibly encouraging, we must be pragmatic about how quickly it can be made available to the general public.
Why we should be wary of 'game-changing' claims about COVID-19 treatments
Dozens of drug candidates are being trialled for both prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19, but it is too early to recommend any of them for routine clinical use.
Pharmacy teams need protection to keep running during COVID-19
Personal protective equipment is vital in allowing pharmacists to continue their essential work during the pandemic, yet pharmacies have not received enough to continue operating safely.
Comment
We risk a cardiovascular health crisis if patients stop seeking help when they need it
Footfall in emergency departments across the world has decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts worry that patients with symptoms are staying at home for fear of burdening their healthcare systems. But preventing serious cardiovascular events is still as important as ever, says cardiology consultant pharmacist Rani Khatib.
There is a vulnerable group we must not leave behind in our response to COVID-19: people who are dependent on illicit drugs
None of us are safe from COVID-19, but the health status, needs and behaviours of those who use illicit drugs leave them particularly vulnerable — pharmacists can reduce this risk, says drugs researcher Amira Guirguis.
Ways to safeguard UK drug supplies during COVID-19 and beyond
The COVID-19 pandemic is stretching the NHS, including its supplies of essential drugs, to the limits. We may need new systems in place to ensure patients never miss out on medicines they need.
Careers
Five ways to promote self-care for you and your team during COVID-19
It is more important than ever to ensure the wellbeing of the frontline pharmacy workforce; here are some tips on how this can be done.
Blogs
How I faced COVID-19 as a critical care pharmacist in one of the UK's worst hit regions
Specialist critical care pharmacist Greg Barton recounts how his unit adapted to new practices and unknowns as cases of coronavirus surged in north west England.
How I prepared healthcare professionals for battle at London’s COVID-19 Nightingale hospital
London’s pop-up COVID-19 hospital constantly adapted and set the standards for other emergency field hospitals, says pharmacy educator Yinka Kuye.
A message to preregistration trainees in the time of COVID-19: this setback can make you stronger
Stephen Sekimwanyi, a pharmacist who has had his fair share of career setbacks, offers advice to preregistration trainees in light of the General Pharmaceutical Council’s decision to delay the pharmacy registration exam.
COVID-19: I was punched by an angry patient in my frontline pharmacy on Good Friday
Pharmacist manager Krunal Vyas was left shocked, shaken and questioning his place in the profession after he was abused by an angry patient during the Easter weekend.
Your RPS
Pharmacists must be given access to PPE online ordering system, RPS says
Pharmacists must be given access to an online portal through which healthcare and social care professionals can order personal protective equipment, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has said.
Pharmacist leading coronavirus rapid test project elected as Fellow of Royal Society
A pharmacist who is currently leading a €600,000 project to develop a rapid test for coronavirus infection has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
News
Thousands of pharmacies in deficit could close owing to COVID-19, trade body warns government
Thousands of pharmacies could close if they do not receive extra funding to cope with COVID-19 pressures as around half were already in deficit at the start of the pandemic, the National Pharmacy Association has told the government.
Pharmacy leaders concerned over lack of widespread COVID-19 risk assessment for BAME staff
Pharmacy leaders in the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities have expressed concern that assessments of black, Asian and minority ethnic staff’s susceptibility to COVID-19 are not widespread enough in community pharmacy.
Risk assessments of provisionally registered pharmacists could be checked by the regulator
Pharmacists must be given access to PPE online ordering system, RPS says
First COVID-19 treatment to be made available for use in UK outside a clinical trial
Pharmacy teams to support care homes with 'clinical review' of patients amid COVID-19 response
All provisionally registered trainees must be risk-assessed before starting work, regulator says
Approved COVID-19 antibody test 'not intended for home use', manufacturer warns
Pharmacist leading coronavirus rapid test project elected as Fellow of Royal Society
Pharmacies selected as a ‘target setting’ for COVID-19 antibody testing
Remdesivir could be granted conditional marketing authorisation 'in the coming days', says EMA
Supplies of sedative used for COVID-19 patients diverted from France to avoid potential shortages
Hydroxychloroquine fails to significantly improve COVID-19 survival rates, studies show
Almost a third of temporary pharmacy registrants intend to return to work, regulator finds
Regulator promises more detail on delayed registration assessment by the end of May 2020
Pharmacies request just 5% of all tasks carried out by COVID-19 volunteers so far, NHS England says
Just 550 pharmacy staff referred for COVID-19 testing in first ten days of national scheme
NHS England advises pharmacies to 'risk assess' BAME staff for susceptibility to COVID-19
Manufacturer to move hydroxychloroquine production to the UK to avoid shortages
Wholesalers 'almost completely out' of government-supplied PPE, trade body warns
Additional resources
End-of-life care
Case-based learning: palliative and end-of-life care in community pharmacySubscription
Community pharmacists encounter patients at all stages in their life; however, patients who require palliative care require dedicated time and special consideration.
Prevention of venous thromboembolism in hospitalised patientsSubscription
Pharmacists should note the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s updated guidance on use of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in a range of hospitalised patient groups.
Improving and standardising the management of controlled drugsSubscription
Ensuring the safe and effective management of controlled drugs is an important role for pharmacists, particularly in secondary care.
How to provide patients with the right information to make informed decisionsSubscription
A tailored approach can help pharmacists support patients to make better treatment choices, resulting in more successful outcomes.
Facilitating anticipatory prescribing in end-of-life careSubscription
Anticipatory prescribing enables patients in the last days and weeks of their lives to have their symptoms managed at home. Pharmacists are ideally positioned to provide practical support and advice to other healthcare professionals on the prescribing and administration of anticipatory medicines and to facilitate timely supply.
Critical care
The top ten prescribing errors in practice and how to avoid themSubscription
Prescribing errors affect patient safety, but pharmacists and other healthcare professionals can reduce the risk of them occurring.
Intravenous fluid managementSubscription
An introduction to fluid management for adults in hospitals, covering replacement during resuscitation, malnourished patients and following large electrolyte losses.
Infection prevention
Hand hygiene interventions could lower death rates in nursing home residentsSubscription
Hand hygiene interventions, well known for their ability to reduce disease and death rates, are rarely implemented in nursing homes.
Diagnosis and management of hospital-acquired pneumonia in older adults Subscription
Hospital‑acquired pneumonia increases the length of in-patient hospital stay and is associated with high mortality rates, particularly in older people. Pharmacists and healthcare professionals need to know how to diagnose and manage the condition, and be cognisant of the gaps in the evidence base.
Principles of initiating antimicrobial therapy and empiric prescribingSubscription
Healthcare professionals should be aware of the principles of antimicrobial treatment and the need to reduce inappropriate prescribing to retain the effectiveness of drugs currently available.
Healthcare-associated infection: best practice in prevention and controlSubscription
Understand the standard principles and practices of infection control, with a brief overview of initiatives aimed at reducing rates of infection acquired in a healthcare setting.
Wellbeing
Sick from stress: 'presenteeism' in pharmacySubscription
With increasing pressures placed on pharmacy professionals, presenteeism — or working when not fit to do so — is becoming more common. This can have detrimental effects on individuals, their families and patients.
Just talking, itself, is therapeutic
Writing competition 2019
Supporting the supporterSubscription
With ever increasing stressors placed on the healthcare sector, it is important that pharmacy professionals are able to look after their own health and wellbeing. But who can pharmacy professionals turn to when they are the ones in need of support?
