COVID-19: How did community pharmacies get through the first wave?

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted essential services, including community pharmacies.
• Understanding community pharmacy adaptation is crucial for future pandemic preparedness.
• Pharmacies played a vital role in providing continuous care during the early stages of the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how community pharmacies adapted their practices during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To identify key strategies and challenges faced by pharmacy staff.
• To inform future preparedness strategies for mass-scale civil disruptions.

Main Methods:

• Convenience, snowball, and purposive sampling recruited 39 participants from 11 Ontario community pharmacies.
• Semistructured focus group interviews were conducted.
• Thematic analysis was used to identify adaptation strategies and challenges.

Main Results:

• Non-dispensing services were largely suspended.
• Managerial decisions, such as adjusted work shifts, were critical for staff resilience.
• Technology played a central role in ensuring the continuity of quality pharmacy services.

Conclusions:

• Community pharmacy preparedness is essential for future pandemic waves.
• Employer support, including operational adjustments and technological integration, is vital for staff during crises.
• Insights from this study can enhance patient care and service provision during widespread disruptions.