ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: One-third of the annual hospital budget is spent on the purchase of medicines, materials, and supplies. Drug store management is a complex but critical process within the healthcare delivery system. Health supply chains, the import of active pharmaceutical ingredients, transportation, procurement, finished products have been disrupted by COVID-19. MATERIALS & METHODS: A retrospective, observational study was carried out at the Department of Hospital Administration, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur. Quantitative data about the pattern of consumption of 20 most commonly used drugs (10 antibiotics, three analgesics, three antipyretics, two anticoagulants, and two steroids), and 20 most frequently used consumables were sourced from existing records of the Central Pharmacy for 24 months between 1st January 2019 to 31st December 2020. RESULTS: A significant rise in the consumption pattern was seen in 25 drugs and consumables out of 40 total selected drugs and consumables. The maximum increase was observed in antibiotics followed by antipyretics, and the least increase was observed in analgesics followed by anticoagulants. Tablet Azithromycin 500 mg was the most frequently used antibiotic during the COVID-19 Period as compared to the Pre-COVID-19 period followed by injection Piperacillin + Tazobactam. The only antibiotic having a decline in consumption and also with the lowest consumption was tablet Metronidazole 400 mg. The highest increase in consumables occurs by 10088% in N95 Masks, followed by 573% in shoe covers, and 153% in face masks (three-layers), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study will enhance education to the pharmaceutical industries, policymakers to the Government, and other hospitals on how to better manage drug stores in future pandemic-like situations. Proper drug store management played a crucial role in medication usage that improved patient outcomes and prevented the misuse of medications. The pattern of changes in the consumption of drugs and consumables in the present study can be utilized by other hospitals in the third wave of the pandemic.