Time spent by Belgian hospital pharmacists on supply disruptions and drug shortages: An exploratory study

Abstract

IntroductionSupply problems of drugs are an increasing and worldwide problem, also in Belgium. Hospital pharmacists try to manage drug supply problems to minimize the impact on patient care. This study aims to quantify in a detailed manner how much time employees of 17 Belgian hospital pharmacies spend on drug supply problems.MethodsDuring six months, employees of Belgian hospital pharmacies filled in the daily time spent on drug supply problems using a template containing all steps which can be executed to manage drug supply problems. Additionally, Belgian hospital pharmacists were asked to report the drugs which experienced drug supply problems together with the solution for this problem.ResultsHospital pharmacists spent a median of 109 minutes a week on drug supply problems, with a minimum of 40 minutes per week and a maximum of 216 minutes per week. Fifty-nine percent of the total time spent on drug supply problems was executed by hospital pharmacists, 27% by pharmacy technicians; the rest was performed by logistic or administrative personnel. About one third of the total time spent was invested in gathering information on the supply problem. About two third of the supply disruptions caused drug shortages, meaning there was a need to switch to another (generic) therapeutic alternative. For most drug shortages, a Belgian generic medicine could be found. However in some cases, the alternative had to be ordered abroad or for some drug shortages, no alternative was available.ConclusionThese exploratory results on time spent by hospital pharmacists on drug supply problems in Belgium highlight the economic impact of drug supply problems for hospital pharmacies. A fully reliable, daily updated list on the federal agencies websites would be a major help to hospital pharmacists.

Time Investment in Drug Supply Problems by Flemish Community Pharmacies

“…However, improving the provision of information about drug supply problems can reduce the total time spent by pharmacists. Similar results and recommendations were found for Belgian hospital pharmacies ( De Weerdt et al, 2017 ).…”

“…The time community pharmacists spend on drug supply problems (±25 min per week) also largely differs from the time spent by hospital pharmacists (±2 h per week) ( De Weerdt et al, 2017 ). There are two important factors which can explain this difference: (i) the supply chain of pharmacies (see Figure 1 ) and (ii) the amount of products ordered.…”

“…Through a convenience sample of pharmacists in the region of Leuven, three exploratory interviews were conducted to draft a template containing the different steps a community pharmacist and his personnel can undertake to manage drug supply disruptions. The interviews were based on a template from a previous study on time spent on drug supply problems in hospital pharmacies ( De Weerdt et al, 2017 ). Six randomly selected community pharmacies validated the template.…”

“…Shortages of “human medicinal products”, later referred to as “drug” shortages, are no longer a new phenomenon ( Baumer et al, 2004 ; Fox et al, 2009 ; Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union, 2012 ; Collins, 2013 ; European Association of Hospital Pharmacists, 2014 ; De Weerdt et al, 2015a , 2017 ; Pauwels et al, 2015 ). Different wordings are used to describe drug supply problems and additional different interpretations are perceived when discussing drug shortages ( De Weerdt et al, 2015b ).…”

“…Various causes of drug supply problems are described in literature ( European Medicines Agency, 2012 ; Barlas, 2013 ; Birgli ® , 2013 ; Gupta and Huang, 2013 ; De Weerdt et al, 2015c ). Reputational damage, economic and health implications, increased workload are just a few examples on how drug supply problems affect different stakeholders in the supply chain of delivering the medicinal products to patients ( Fox et al, 2009 ; IMS, 2011 ; Kaakeh et al, 2011 ; Ventola, 2011 ; Havrilesky et al, 2012 ; Metzger et al, 2012 ; Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union, 2012 ; APB, 2015 ; De Weerdt et al, 2017 ).…”