ABSTRACT
Service or Program: Operation Allies Welcome was a unified national humanitarian mission to support Afghanistan evacuees in the United States. The City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania welcomed approximately 25,000 evacuees from Afghanistan between August and November 2021. This effort included a broad range of medical services including COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and setting up a medication dispensary. Our pharmacy team was tasked with establishing and operating a dispensary to dispense limited supply of medications to patients for non-life-threatening conditions as they were bridged to definitive care. The objective of this is to describe the pharmacists' role within this coordinated emergency response. Justification/Documentation: This emergency response required that our pharmacy dispensary was adequately staffed and stocked with common medications for the target population. Our roles focused on establishment of standard operating procedures for the dispensary, dispensing medications, creation of a securely shared electronic inventory, creation of standardized staffing process, participation in vaccination efforts, and provision of drug-information. Overall, 1363 prescriptions, for both over the counter (OTC) and prescription medications, were dispensed. The dispensary stocked 82 different medications. Antipyretics, analgesics, antihistamines, prenatal vitamins, proton-pump inhibitors, and topical antibiotics were the most commonly dispensed OTC products. Frequently dispensed prescription medication classes included antibiotics, steroids, antiemetics, anti-diabetic and antihypertensives agents. We successfully leveraged the support of 66 volunteer pharmacists from 9 organizations around Philadelphia, including academic, hospital, non-profit, and pharmaceutical industry institutions. Adaptability: This program has a high level of adaptability for future emergency preparedness efforts. It serves as a playbook to guide pharmacists to respond to future emergencies. Significance: Our service provided much needed pharmacy support for Afghan evacuees. Our practical experiences demonstrated that pharmacists can effectively create and implement a dispensary during emergent crises. Findings from our operation add to the limited literature supporting the importance of pharmacists in these coordinated emergency responses.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, our institution moved to online instruction for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester. In place of a live advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) simulation, we implemented a virtual Zoombased simulation called virtual Code Lab. The purpose of this study is to describe the implementation of virtual Code Lab on Zoom and assess the effectiveness of the activity. METHODS: Second professional year Doctor of Pharmacy students received instruction in the required therapeutics courses related to ACLS and basic life support (BLS) principles. Prior to virtual Code Lab, students were required to successfully pass an online quiz to prepare them for the experience. During the virtual Code Lab, faculty instructors worked with small groups of students via Zoom navigating them through various cardiac arrest scenarios. Students were expected to demonstrate knowledge of arrhythmia identification, BLS principles, ACLS algorithms, and drug therapy including dosing and administration. A debrief was held at the end of each scenario to provide feedback regarding performance. Following the virtual Code Lab, an anonymous survey was sent to all students. A 5-point Likert scale was used to assess student assessment of the activities and their performance. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and Chi-square test for categorical data. RESULTS: A total of 137 students participated in virtual Code Lab and 124 (90.5%) completed the survey. 80.7%, 75.6%, 86.3%, and 87% agreed/strongly agreed virtual Code Lab improved the ability to apply principles of CPR, interpret cardiac rhythms, apply ACLS algorithms, and understand the pharmacist's role during a code, respectively. 54.5% agreed/ strongly agreed they felt comfortable with making drug and non-drug recommendations prior to the virtual Code Lab versus 86.3% after the experience (p<0.00001). 89.5% agreed/strongly agreed virtual Code Lab improved their closed-loop communication skills as well. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, ACLS simulation was successfully conducted using Zoom for a virtual Code Lab experience. Students demonstrated they felt virtual Code Lab improved important skills required for a pharmacist during ACLS.