ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Supply chain management involves the planning and supervision of all activities related to sourcing, procurement, conversion, and all logistics activities. Shelf life of many drugs can be determined by the storage of such drugs, to maximize the products’ shelf life and make them readily available for distribution
OBJECTIVES: To determine adherence to storage guidelines by community pharmacies in Oredo. To assess the level of knowledge of storage practices and guidelines by pharmacist.
METHODS: The study design employed included a descriptive and an experimental study, combining quick interviews which also involved exploring the storage conditions in registered wholesale and retail community pharmacies. Collection of antibiotics drug samples for quality assessment to check if drug quality meets the standard drug quality and monitoring. Qualitative data was analyzed using statistical software SPSS(Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Experimental data was analyzed using a PiLLScan Near Infrared system to evaluate composition of solid dose antibiotic formulations by checking for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API)checks range of maximum absorbance for each tablet and comparing it to standards in the PillScanNIR.
RESULTS: Of the respondents 70% were responsible for pharmaceutical storage, with 70% employing temperature control and protection from light.60% percent implemented humidity control, and 90% ensured ventilation. Participants found temperature control (70%) most challenging. The majority believed proper storage could reduce medication errors (70%) and 30% didn’t believe proper storage could reduce the risk of medication error.10% were very satisfied with their storage standard,80% were satisfied with their storage standards and 10% were neutral. Findings from the on-spot assessment form,90% of storage requirements were met, including the presence of air-conditioning, pallets, shelves, and clean storage rooms. However, only 40% utilized ice pack bags. Observations revealed adherence to storage guidelines, with medications stacked appropriately, temperature regulated, and products shielded from sunlight.
Results gotten using the PillScanNIR which is a Near-Infrared Spectroscopy system, this shows the brand Loxagyl had a 50% positive match with all the 5 standards, Metrone had a 20% negative match and a 30% positive for the 5 standards, Metrotab had a 20% negative and 30% positive match for the 5 standards,Emgyl had a 20% negative and 30% positive match for the 5 standards,Unigyl and Famagyl had a 10% negative and 40% positive for the 5 standards.
CONCLUSION: The results presented in this study shows that 90% of pharmacists adhere to Logistics Management Information System (LMIS) guidelines. Also majority of the pharmacist had substantial knowledge of storage conditions guidelines. The presence of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient in Metronidazole tablet was determined.
KEY WORDS: Storage, Supply chain, Quality
