If you work in hospital, or nursing homes, doctors offices, or perhaps even in a pharmacy as a clerk, as I am, you may already be well aware of the growing drug shortages. As far as I am aware at this time it is all across North America.
The FDA keeps a list of current shortages and their apparent reasons; anything from manufacturer no longer makes, increased demand or even problems with raw materials are all cited as reasons. Reasons aside, nurses need to keep abreast of what is happening,and why, because health care consumers may ask, and you need to have some sort of answer.
Nurse Practitioners will definitely need to keep on top of this growing problem as they it certainly may affect what they are able to prescribe. Nurses in hospitals should be kept up to date by management and pharmacy, not just so they can help support answers to questions that patients may have, but because they need to know how to safely, and accurately, administer meds they may not be overly familiar with.
What is so scary about these shortages? In the case of the United States it seems the government has little if any effect, or control,over the situation. These drug shortages will, and do, affect the health of many.
I would like to know what nurses opinions on this subject are and any experiences they think would be important to share. How we care for our patients and assist doctors in care is going to be heavily impacted by these things that are happening today.
