Pharmacy Leadership Amid the Pandemic: Maintaining Patient Safety During Uncertain Times

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid development of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) treatments.
• Patient care faced risks including evolving safety data, counterfeit medications, and supply chain disruptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and discuss patient safety threats during COVID-19 treatment development.
• To propose strategies for enhancing medication safety and mitigating drug shortages.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and analysis of reported patient safety issues.
• Discussion of leadership strategies aligned with the WHO Global Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm.

Main Results:

• Identified key threats: evolving clinical data safeguards, counterfeit online drugs, and pharmaceutical supply chain instability.
• Proposed strategies focus on medication intelligence and mitigating drug shortages.

Conclusions:

• Implementing robust leadership strategies is essential for improving medication safety during pandemics.
• Pharmacy leaders must integrate new approaches to reduce errors, prevent harm, and advocate for patient safety.