COVID-19's impact on neglected pharmaceutical staff: wake-up call for needed research

Richard Antony Powell; Shivali Lakhani; Marsha Alter; Steven Guan; Jehanita Jesuthasan; Dasha Nicholls

doi:10.1186/s40545-021-00376-x

COVID-19's impact on neglected pharmaceutical staff: wake-up call for needed research

J Pharm Policy Pract. 2021 Nov 4;14(1):95. doi: 10.1186/s40545-021-00376-x.

Authors

Richard Antony Powell^{1

2

3}, Shivali Lakhani⁴, Marsha Alter⁴, Steven Guan⁵, Jehanita Jesuthasan⁶, Dasha Nicholls^{7

6}

Affiliations

¹ NIHR ARC Northwest London, London, England. r.powell@imperial.ac.uk.
² Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, England. r.powell@imperial.ac.uk.
³ Ethnicity and Health Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, England. r.powell@imperial.ac.uk.
⁴ Middlesex Pharmaceutical Group, London, England.
⁵ Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, England.
⁶ Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, England.
⁷ NIHR ARC Northwest London, London, England.

Abstract

Discussion of the necessity of the compulsory vaccination of UK patient-facing care workers as an employment conditionality has deflected from the initial and ongoing impact of Coronavirus disease on relatively neglected occupational groups themselves, including community pharmacists. This commentary highlights the relative lack of research investigating the mental health and wellbeing impact of the pandemic on this occupational group in England and urges further study of their needs and experiences to inform evidence-based supportive psychological interventions.

Keywords: COVID-19; Community pharmacy; Mental health; Pandemic; Pharmacists; Professional roles.

Publication types

Letter