Royal Hospital Pharmacy Exerts Great Role in Tackling COVID-19

The pharmacists play a major role under the current health circumstances. This report highlights the efforts and roles of the pharmacists during COVID-19, particularly in the Royal Hospital.

First: Clinical Pharmacist

The clinical pharmacist provides medical care for the patients in the hospitals and clinics to help them recover rapidly by prescribing the proper dose of the medicine. The highly experienced pharmacists in the Royal Hospital are qualified to deal with such cases. The clinical pharmacist plays a great role in reviewing the test results, including kidney and liver tests, to calculate the appropriate dose for each patient, checking the medicines for the patients with chronic diseases to avoid drug interactions and reaction and ensure the stability of patient’s condition along with the accuracy in determining the highly toxic drug dosages.  

Second: Parenteral Nutrition

The specialized pharmacist plays a significant role in installing the parenteral nutrition, and if necessary, he/ she supplies the patient with the parenteral nutrition, as well as calculating the correct percentage of the patient feeding by adding salts, proteins and other essential components to avoid any reverses that may occur to the patient.

Third: Drug Information

The highly qualified pharmacists in the Royal Hospital specialized in drug information are assisting the medical staff to respond quickly and provide the required medical advice related to medicines.  

Fourth: Medical Stores & Drug Supplies

In cooperation with the Directorate General of Medical Supplies and other firms, the pharmacists in the medical stores of the Royal Hospital are providing all required drugs during this critical time along with harnessing the potentials by cooperating with the concerned authorities for the benefit of the patients.

Fifth: Role of the Outpatient Pharmacy in Dealing with COVID-19

The outpatient pharmacy is providing the medicines for all patients and prescribing drugs for the outpatients with high efficiency and performance. Therefore, to maintain the health of the patient, the outpatient pharmacy plays a great role in these circumstances, most notably: -

- Using the beeper device. The pharmacist will give this device to the patient when receiving the prescription, and the patient will wait to get his/ her medicines at the main entrance of the Hospital in order to stay away from the crowded areas that could affect the safety of the patients.

- Launching the drug-home delivery service in cooperation with the Wareed platform, which is designed by qualified Omani Cadre to reach the top safety standards for the patient.

- Using the WhatsApp service through receiving the prescription from the patients.

Furthermore, urging all hospitals and centers across the Sultanate to communicate with the pharmacists in the Royal Hospital to deliver the medicines monthly outside Muscat in coordination with medical stores in those areas.