Impact of Drug Shortages - a Pharmacist Perspective
Essay by troysterrx • December 15, 2015 • Research Paper • 9,845 Words (40 Pages) • 1,323 Views
IMPACT OF DRUG SHORTAGES
FROM A PHARMACIST PERSPECTIVE
By
Troy Rehrig
A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Submitted to
Ronald Petrilla, PhD
Misericordia University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for
OM 515 Research Methods
2015
CERTIFICATION STATEMENT
I hereby certify that this paper constitutes my own product, that where the language of others is set fourth, quotation marks so indicate, and that the appropriate credit is given where I have used the language, ideas, expressions, or writings of another.
Signed ________________________
Troy Rehrig
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
- INTRODUCTION Page
Statement of the Problem 4
Background 5
Purpose 6
Significance 6
Nature of the Study 6
Definition of Terms 7
- LITERATURE REVIEW
History and Introduction 8
Causes and Trends 9
Impact 11
Management and Solutions 14
- METHODOLOGY
Research Design 17
Sample 18
Instrumentation and Materials 18
Research Questions 19
Data Analysis 20
Appendix A
First Letter 22
Second Letter 23
Appendix B
Survey 24
References Cited 25
Bibliography 26
i
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Drug shortages and massive price increases that can follow are having dramatic effects upon patients, health care providers and health care facilities. This is an issue that began over ten years previously and continues to be, and will be for the foreseeable future, a major factor in jeopardizing the quality of patient care. The lack of available medications causes direct harm to patients by forcing health care providers to ration medications or choose inferior drug treatment options. Health care providers are stressed about the lack of choices and restrictions being forced upon them. Patients and hospitals are being forced to pay extremely inflated costs because of some drug shortage issues but also because of the lack of competition that has been allowed to develop for many critically needed medications. It is very important to try and understand all aspects of the causes behind drug shortages so that an effective strategy between all parties can be developed and implemented to attempt to alleviate or at least decrease the frequency, duration and severity of drug shortages.
Statement of the Problem
Critical shortages and huge price increases of prescription medications are creating dangerous and even deadly conditions for patients and putting increased pressures and stress on hospitals, care providers and health care facilities.
Background
Drug shortages can be caused by natural disasters, lack of raw or bulk materials, manufacturing difficulties, regulatory issues, recalls of affected or related products, or changes in product formulations. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have noted increases in drug shortages over the past ten years (Kaakeh, Sweet, Reilly, Bush, DeLoach, Higgins, Clark, & Stevenson, 2011).
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