[The importance of the logistic warehouse in pandemic period: the experience of the USL Umbria 1 (Perugia, Italy) during covid-19]

Recenti Prog Med. 2021 Mar;112(3):219-224. doi: 10.1701/3565.35462.
[Article in Italian]

Abstract

The pandemic period has generated major problems in the pharmacies of hospitals and local health care companies regarding the distribution of drugs to patients undergoing treatment with chronic drugs. This is because the patient, during the lockdown, was forced to leave the house and go several miles away to reach the place where the drug was dispensed. Moreover, very often, the place was placed in covid-19 hospitals, like the one in Perugia, and was also a risk for the patient himself. The logistical organization allows, in addition to the advantages of traceability, efficiency and savings, with the arrival of the drug at home, a very high patient compliance that also translates into greater security in a pandemic period. To the Usl Umbria 1 of Perugia (Italy) has been centralized the activity of warehouse for all the South area that includes three hospitals and four sanitary districts. Such warehouse, through computerized procedure, guarantees the direct distribution with sending of the medicines directly to the district of belonging of the patient. In this way the patient was not forced to make long and risky trips to continue their chronic therapies. Moreover, this logistic warehouse has also allowed to cope with the correct management of many medicinal specialties that have been used against the SARS-CoV-2 virus avoiding their temporary deficiency for patients already on therapy according to the normal therapeutic indications (anti-inflammatory, antiretroviral and immunomodulatory). This paper aims to demonstrate how logistical organization is of vital importance for a National Health System that has to face increasing costs, ensure the traceability of all processes and, last but not least, survive a worldwide pandemic period.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Infective Agents / supply & distribution
  • Anti-Infective Agents / therapeutic use
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / supply & distribution
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antihypertensive Agents / supply & distribution
  • Antihypertensive Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antineoplastic Agents / supply & distribution
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antiviral Agents / supply & distribution
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
  • Catchment Area, Health
  • Drug Costs / statistics & numerical data
  • Drug Repositioning
  • Drug Storage* / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Factors / supply & distribution
  • Immunologic Factors / therapeutic use
  • Italy
  • Organization and Administration
  • Pandemics*
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations / economics
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations / supply & distribution*
  • Pharmacy Service, Hospital / organization & administration
  • SARS-CoV-2*

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Antihypertensive Agents
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Antiviral Agents
  • Immunologic Factors
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations