COVID-19 Effects on Drug Delivery and the Importance of Packaging Accessibility

COVID-19, the dirty word of 2020. It’s everywhere you look: TV, newspapers, websites, advertisements, and emails are just a few examples of places where you can be reminded once again that the world has been put on hold because of the deadly virus.

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COVID-19, has in one way or another, affected everybody’s lives if they are an inhabitant of Earth. Restrictions on how many people you can surround yourself with have been placed, along with cancellations of big events and parades. Closures of popular indoor spaces such as shopping malls and restaurants have also left many cities feeling like a shell of what they used to be. In addition to these restrictions, a healthy 6 ft. (2m) distance must be held between yourself and your neighbour. Handshakes and hugs that were once friendly greetings are now a thing of the past. The places that are still open during the pandemic must also follow stringent cleaning procedures to prevent visitors from being infected by COVID-19.

Though it is known that the virus has heavily affected our society, it has had an equally massive effect on our healthcare systems. The sector of medicine that handles in delivering medications to patients has always been a cautious job to begin with. Now with a global pandemic currently underway, there is now an additional danger that they must face to protect both themselves and their patients from yet another highly contagious virus.

Patients who are ill often receive their medication by a pharmacist and in Canada, the most common way is through face to face interactions resulting in a close contact situation. Due to how infectious many illnesses are, especially COVID-19, many pharmacists are constantly at risk of contracting various amounts of diseases each day.

Ensuring that the pharmacist remains safe and protected by any illness that their patient may endure while also being able to provide treatment is extremely important. An interesting take on ensuring the safety of all persons involved is the introduction of drive through pharmacies. Similar to fast food drive-throughs, drive through pharmacies allow for an easy way to distribute medications without the need to be in close contact with the patient for a long duration of time. This drastically reduces the chances of accidentally spreading the virus among individuals.

However, these drive through pharmacies are not without flaws. Processing delays and dispensing errors can occur causing even more headaches for patients who are already not feeling terrifically well. In addition, drive through pharmacies also lack the consultation sessions that patients may need, especially if they are taking a medication they have never used before.

In a study conducted by The New England Journal of Medicine, it has been discovered COVID-19 was detectable on cardboard for 24 hours, and plastic surfaces as well as stainless steel for up to 72 hours (Government of Canada, 2020). How unfortunate is it that the majority of packaging is made using cardboard or plastic? Most medications that are of the pill form often come in orange plastic bottles that are equipped with plastic child safety caps. One would think that the packaging for medications is a perfect vessel for COVID-19 to hitch a ride. How ironic, since medications are meant to provide a relief from illness. As a result, caretakers must be even more careful than they already are when delivering medication to patients.

As discussed, it can be very dangerous to provide an ill patient with medications, since it requires getting up close and personal with them, especially if the patient is unable to administer it to themselves. However, since most pharmacies are unable to include a drive through, the 6 ft. social distancing rule has to be broken in order to keep those patients healthy since I doubt that many patients would appreciate having their medications given to them via a 6 ft. pole. Therefore, to reduce contact between patients and healthcare workers, it’s important that their medication is user-friendly and easy to administer themselves.

In the current state that the world is in, it is more important now than ever to ensure that pharmaceutical packaging is made with an increased emphasis on accessibility. Those who have contracted COVID-19 or are ill with an infectious virus, should not have to worry about potentially infecting others by having to contact a caretaker to help them open a medication package. As a matter of fact, a study of 45 elderly women who have rheumatoid arthritis showed that 13% of participants were unable to open a screw off cap and 20% were unable to open a plastic dropper package (Sormunen et al., 2013). In order for them to receive their medication, another person must come to their assistance.

The emergence of COVID-19 has revealed the dire need for more accessible packaging in pharmaceuticals. For those who are already in fear of going to the doctor during these times, should not also have to fear not being able to open their medication at home.

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References

Case-Lo, C. (March 28, 2019). Administration of Medication: Why It’s Important Taking Drugs The Right Way. Retrieved from

https://www.healthline.com/health/administration-of-medication#routes

Government of Canada. (September 9, 2020). ARCHIVED: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Summary of Assumptions. Retrieved from

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019- /health-professionals/assumptions.html

Hussain, R., Dawoud, D. M., & Babar, Z. U. (2020). Drive-thru pharmacy services: A

way forward to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP, S1551-7411(20)30601-X. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.07.015

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (n.d.). Drug Delivery

Systems. Retreived from https://www.nibib.nih.gov/science-education/science-topics/drug-delivery-systems-getting-drugs-their-targets-controlled-manner

Sormunen, E., Nevala, N. and Sipl, S. (September 16, 2013). Critical Factors in

Opening Pharmaceutical Packages: a Usability Study among Healthcare Workers, Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Elderly Women. Packaging Technology & Science, 27(7), 559-576. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/doi/10.1002/pts.2048