Abstract:

Disasters can be defined as nature, technology, or human-induced events that cause physical, economic, and social losses for the whole or certain segments of society. These events stop or interrupt normal life and human activities, revealing insufficiencies in the affected society’s coping capacity. The first response to disasters is local. In some cases, it may take days or even weeks for aid to reach the disaster area. Therefore, it is very important to have a community disaster response plan for disasters and emergencies. Disaster response plans prepared for disasters and emergencies should include detailed mitigation, disaster preparedness, disaster response, rehabilitation, and recovery activities. Pharmacists have great responsibilities in increasing the effectiveness of disaster response plans in which government, non-governmental organizations, and private sector take part. Pharmacists should be supported to perform their duties in disasters and emergencies, and they should be encouraged to take part in disaster response plans and medical rescue teams. The purpose of this review is to provide up-to-date information in the professional standards and guidelines published by the International Pharmaceutical Federation for man-made or natural disasters to pharmacists who are interested in the field of disaster and emergency pharmacy.

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