Role of community pharmacists in the prevention and control of Covid-19 in Catalonia

ABSTRACT

Background: In the last decades, both pharmacy and pharmacist have been in a constant evolution, being fundamental in the control of infectious diseases. The aim of this research is to show the role of community pharmacists in disease prevention and monitoring programs, specifically in the control of COVID-19. Besides, we want to know the perception of pharmacists about their role in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online survey was sent to 8556 community pharmacists registered in Catalonia, in which they were asked about their opinion and perception of their role in different COVID-19 control activities. A bivariant and descriptive analysis of the different variables was done globally, age stratified (<40 years, 40-60 years, >60 years) and according to the type of pharmacy (urban vs others). Results: The response rate was 14.63% (1253). However, despite the positive perception that pharmacists have about their role in the pandemic, 90,9% of the respondents consider that the Health Administration didn't count much on them. Statistic significative differences were found in some aspects, for example, in the pharmacists' perception of the knowledge level of the pharmacy users, or in the frequency of encounters with COVID negationists, both aspects related with the pharmacist age (p=0,047 and p=0,0001 respectively). Conclusions: Pharmacies are sanitary establishments strategically located to perform public health activities and to control pandemics. Therefore, the pharmacist, as a health professional, should be considered one more piece of the gear to improve the efficiency of the health system.