Table 3.

Recommendations for health systems and pharmacy services.

Prevention
1.Government and healthcare agencies should make adequate provision of PPEs and sanitising chemicals
2.Government and healthcare agencies should prepare pharmacists to provide training on correct use of PPEs to other healthcare staff
3.Government and healthcare agencies should promote pharmacists to develop and disseminate evidence based information to the general public and patients about control measures and mitigating the risks of pandemic
4.Education of pharmacists in the professional pharmacy curriculum should incorporate aspects of prevention and mitigation of pandemics
Preparedness
1.Pharmacists should be given key decision making roles in relation to stratification of risks in clinical areas
2.Pharmacists in diverse clinical settings should receive training to deliver pharmaceutical care services in critical care areas in preparedness of the pandemic
3.Pharmacists' expertise and skills should be harnessed to enable them source and critically appraise evidence based information i
4.Pharmacists should receive adequate continuous professional development opportunities to source and appraise evidence based information
5.Healthcare services should identify measures to ration clinical pharmacy services to address staff shortages during the time of pandemic
6.Government and healthcare agencies should build strategies around how to best use student pharmacist resources at the time of pandemic
Action-response
1.Pharmacists should be trained to enable efficient procurement practices to ensure adequate supply of medicines
2.Government and healthcare agencies should utilise clinical pharmacists in gathering intelligence around the list of medicines that are likely to face shortages at the time of pandemic and ensure adequate planning to counter shortages
3.Pharmacists should be trained to enable therapeutic substitutions at the time of medicines shortages
4.Government and healthcare agencies should promote the potential clinical pharmacy can offer during the time of pandemic
5.Government and healthcare agencies should provide resources to pharmacists to ensure clinical pharmacy services are not interrupted at the time of pandemic, such as sourcing additional staff, customising facilities and availability of equipment to monitor disease status and drug safety and effectiveness
6.Remote means of communications and telemedicine need to be strengthened to allow better and effective communications between pharmacists and patients as well as other health care professionals.
7.Remote means of communications and telemedicine should cater for patients with low literacy, low cognitive functions, elderly and those with the need for language interpretation
8.Novel technologies should be harnessed to facilitate effective communications while pharmacists are on PPE
9.Government and healthcare agencies should utilise pharmacists in the delivery of vaccinations and new medicines to provide protection and treatment
10.Pharmacists routine activities such as dispensing of medicines, minor ailments services and prescribing activities should be harnessed to ensure clinical services provision from diverse settings
11.Government and healthcare agencies should ensure that the new knowledge and skills gained during the pandemic should be maintained and passed on to new practitioners

PPE: Personal Protective Equipment.