Hospital pharmacists have had to adjust operations to deal with shortages of drugs and personal protective equipment as the coronavirus pandemic strains the global medical supply chain.
How five hospital pharmacies have changed operations:
Editor's note: This is not an exhaustive list. Hospitals and health systems are listed in alphabetical order.
- Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System — The health system is temporarily blocking pharmacy counter prescription pickups, instead offering delivery or pickup at curbside, according to the Hub City Times. The rule applies to all eight hospitals in the health system.
- Memorial Hospital (Gulfport, Miss.) — The hospital closed on-site operations for its pharmacy to protect the public and limit the spread of the coronavirus. It has designated a pickup spot outside for patients who need to get their prescriptions, WXXV, a local NBC affiliate reported.
- NYU Langone Health — To deal with shortages of personal protective equipment, pharmacists at the New York City-based health system hang up masks and gowns when going on break and reuse them if they aren't soiled, according to NPR. They are also keeping all personal protective equipment in an electronically locked cabinet.
- University of Utah Health (Salt Lake City) — Pharmacists at University of Utah Health hospitals are reusing face masks used for sterile drug preparation to conserve the supply for other hospital staff, NPR reported.
- UW Medical Center (Seattle) — Pharmacists at the hospital are making their own hand sanitizer to supplement their supply, according to Director of Pharmacy Michael Alwan. They're distributing the hand sanitizer to all departments in the health system but are prioritizing it for patient care areas.