Hospital pharmacy workforce in Brazil.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmacy Practice
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• The distribution of the hospital pharmacy workforce is crucial for effective pharmaceutical care delivery.
• Understanding the current landscape of hospital pharmacy staffing in Brazil is essential for identifying disparities and opportunities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the geographical and institutional distribution of the hospital pharmacy workforce in Brazil.
• To identify factors associated with the presence and density of pharmacists in Brazilian hospitals.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Brazilian National Database of Healthcare Facilities (CNES) for the year 2016.
• Extracted variables including hospital characteristics, management, and pharmacist presence and specialization.
• Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS v.19.

Main Results:

• Out of 4790 registered hospitals, 50.6% lacked any pharmacist.
• Nearly 60% of hospitals did not meet the recommended pharmacist-to-bed ratio (1:50).
• The Southeast region showed the highest pharmacist prevalence; non-profit hospitals were more likely to have pharmacists.

Conclusions:

• The hospital pharmacy workforce in Brazil is unevenly distributed, with a concentration in the Southeast.
• Significant gaps exist in pharmacist staffing, particularly in relation to hospital bed capacity.
• Non-profit and specialized hospitals demonstrate a higher likelihood of employing pharmacists.