Drug shortages may compromise patient safety: Results of a survey of the reference pharmacies of the Drug Commission of German Pharmacists |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Drug Commission of German Pharmacists (AMK), Unter den Linden 19–23, 10117 Berlin, Germany;2. ABDATA Pharma-Daten-Service, Avoxa – Mediengruppe Deutscher Apotheker GmbH, Apothekerhaus Eschborn, Carl-Mannich-Straße 26, 65760 Eschborn, Germany;1. Medical University of Vienna, Center for Public Health, Vienna, Austria;2. University of Vienna, Department for Applied Psychology: Work, Education and Economy, Vienna, Austria;1. Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom;2. High Institute of Public Health, Department of Health Administration and Behavioral Sciences, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt;3. Pharmacy Department, Sudanese Medical Research Association, Khartoum, Sudan;4. Global Health Focus Africa, Khartoum, Sudan;5. Faculty of Pharmacy, Omdurman Islamic University, Khartoum, Sudan;6. Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden;7. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Saad Abu Alela Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan;8. Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan;9. Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China;10. Medical Research Center, Kateb University, Kabul, Afghanistan;11. Global Health Focus Africa, Abuja, Nigeria;12. Global Health Policy Unit, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom;13. Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria;1. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Kasr El-Aini Street, Cairo 11562, Egypt;2. Egyptian Pharmaceutical Vigilance Center, Egyptian Drug Authority, 21 Abd El-Aziz Al-Soud Street, Manial El Roda, 1451 Cairo, Egypt;1. Farmacéutico comunitario. Profesor de Formulación de Medicamentos Individualizados. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, Spain;2. Farmacéutico comunitario, Director del Máster Universitario en Atención Farmacéutica y Farmacoterapia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad San Jorge , Villanueva de Gállego, Spain;1. Law and Health Economics Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 4 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France
;2. Health Law Institute (INSERM UMR S1145), Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris, France;3. Pharmacy Department, General Agency of Equipments and Health Products (AGEPS), 7 rue du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France |
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| Abstract: | Drug shortages are a complex problem and of growing concern. To evaluate implications of drug shortages in terms of outpatient and inpatient safety, the Drug Commission of German Pharmacists surveyed its two nationwide reference pharmacy networks: 865 community and 54 hospital pharmacies.Participants were asked to complete a six-question online survey, covering relevance and challenges of drug shortages in everyday practice as well as consequences for patient safety. Answers were given in the context of the last three months prior to the survey. In total, 482 community (55.7%) and 36 hospital pharmacies (66.7%) participated.Occurrence of drug shortages were confirmed by 88.6% of community and 80.6% of hospital pharmacies. Thus, for example, a substitute was dispensed more than 15 times (60.7% of community, 44.8% of hospital pharmacies) during the 3-month-period. Comparing community and hospital pharmacies, differences in the incidence or severity of consequences for patient safety were apparent. Community pharmacies mainly confirmed adverse effects on patients’ medication adherence (60.4%) and treatment discontinuation (25.8%). A delay or deny of a life-saving treatment (39.4%) was largely reported by hospital pharmacies. Medication errors were reported by 20.1% of the community and 21.2% of the hospital pharmacies, respectively.Taken together, sustainable solutions are needed to counteract drug shortages and to ensure adequate treatment for patients. |
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| Keywords: | Drug shortages Pharmacy Drug Commission of German Pharmacists Patient safety Germany Survey |
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