Report of the established strategies and actions adopted by CRF-SP in relation to the problems experienced due to the COVID-19

Abstract

In the context of COVID-19 pandemic, it is recommended that pharmacists promote actions of pharmaceutical guidance and care, based on scientific evidence. CRF-SP acts on the vigilance of professional practice, registers companies, enrolls those who work in the pharmaceutical area and performs activities to capacitate pharmacists to act ethically. The objective was to report the main problems experienced by CRF-SP in the scenario instituted by COVID-19, the strategies used and the actions adopted. Data from 01/01/2020 to 06/30/2020 were collected, analyzed and categorized according to the reported problems. Those considered relevant in the context of COVID-19 were the suspension of faceto-face services from 03/23/2020 to 06/30/2020, the need to adapt the conditions of inspections according to measures to control the transmissibility of COVID-19, and the emergence of a new public health problem, suggesting possible lack of knowledge by pharmacists. The strategies established by CRF-SP to face these problems were the expansion of electronic services, the development of electronic and telephone surveillance activities, the gradual resumption of on-site inspections adapted to the particularities of COVID-19, and the provision of information and technical guidance to subsidize pharmacists, resulting in the adoption of 15 actions. It was possible to identify the main problems experienced by CRF-SP during the COVID-19 pandemic, the strategies established and the actions taken, indicating the maintenance of essential activities and the support given to pharmacists in the face of the emergence of COVID-19, considered a new public health problem.