Are pharmacists prepared for disaster? A systematic literature review

Background: During disasters health services and community health can be compromised. To ensure continuation of services and minimise negative health outcomes it is critical that health professionals are prepared for disasters. Despite the important role that pharmacists play within the healthcare team, little is known about their preparedness to respond to disasters and the factors that affect their preparedness. Aim: Systematic Review of peer reviewed publications that measured pharmacists’ and pharmacy students’ preparedness for disasters. Methods: This review was conducted in January 2018 through databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and PsycInfo using keywords ‘pharmacist’, ‘disaster’, and ‘prepared’. This search yielded an initial 1707 titles. After revision of inclusion criteria and quality appraisal only 3 articles were included in final analysis and review. Due to variations in methodology a meta-analysis of data was not possible. Articles were analysed for key themes and findings. Results: Two articles focused on pharmacy students and one on registered pharmacists. Most students self-rated themselves as ‘negatively’ or ‘neutrally’ prepared for a disaster. For pharmacists 82% were not prepared for a disaster. Factors that influence preparedness include willingness to respond, previous training, and knowledge of disaster event. Conclusion: There is little research available on pharmacists’ preparedness for disasters. From the research available, pharmacist preparedness to respond to disasters appears to be poor. By better understanding pharmacist preparedness, gaps in pharmacy practice can be addressed, leading to a more robust pharmacy workforce able to contribute to health response in disasters and emergencies