The pharmacist facing the logistics of safely dispensing, storing and preserving drugs in healthcare units.

In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the Hospital Pharmacy Services have  quickly adapted to respond to a critical situation characterized by the constant  and continuous admission of patients with severe pneumonia who needed  treatment, requiring a transformation of the hospital in order to increase the  number of hospital and critical beds. Moreover, other out-ofhospital spaces have  been transformed into hospitalization units to absorb the large number of  patients that had to be treated and isolated. To guarantee the distribution of  medicines and the quality of the pharmaceutical care, drug distribution systems,  such as unit dose and automated dispensing systems, have undergone  transformations. Standard stocks were assigned for COVID units, and different  dispensing circuits to avoid the risk of cross-contamination between COVID and  non-COVID units were created, as well as disinfection protocols for medication  transport systems and medication return protocols. All this without forgetting  COVID treatment protocol's changes that were affected by the availability of the  drugs. The increase in the number of beds in out-of-hospital spaces, such as  field hospitals, hotels, socio-medical centers and nursing homes, has challenged  Pharmacy Services, since new medication dispensing and conciliation circuits  have been created forcing the increase of pharmacy staff's presence and  modifying work shifts, to afford all the new tasks successfully. Development of  contingency plans for the different Pharmacy Service activities and providing  fluent communication channels are key elements for crisis situations or health  emergencies such as the current pandemic. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.