ARCHIVED - 47 covid cases detected through over-the counter pharmacy tests in Murcia region
Pharmacists have carried out over 2,000 tests in the first five weeks of the scheme
At the end of July an agreement was finally signed authorising pharmacies in the Murcia region to sell, and carry out, antigen tests, and since then more than a hundred pharmacies in the Region of Murcia have opted to sell and administer the tests, according to the president of the Official College of Pharmacists of the Region of Murcia (COFRM), Paula Payá.
This protocol includes provision so that pharmacists are able to offer free assistance to perform antigen self-diagnosis tests for those purchasing one of these tests and opt to receive help from the pharmacist to administer the test.
It also includes a provision that any positive results obtained will be communicated to the Murcian Health Service and that a report will be issued to the patient with the result of the test.
In the first five weeks pharmacies in the Region of Murcia have issued 2,057 self-diagnosis test certificates and detected 47 positive cases, all of which have been communicated to the Murcian Health Service.
The scheme has been designed to ensure that any positive cases are notified to the authorities so that contact tracing can ensue and the patient be monitored.
When the individual purchasing a test kit opts to take the test in the pharmacy, they are given all the information regarding the procedure and data use and asked to sign an informed consent. Once the test result has been obtained, the pharmacy office will communicate the result to the patient, and will inform them about the hygienic and sanitary measures that the patient must adopt according to the result obtained.
The pharmacy office will record all the results through an application developed by COFRM exclusively for this purpose, which will guarantee the security of the data. The College will not have access to any identifying data of the patient, which is guaranteed through the appropriate encryption process. Once the test has been carried out and in the event of a positive result, the pharmacist will make the request for a PCR appointment with the registered family doctor or pediatrician as ‘suspected Covid’ for confirmation by PCR test through the applications established by the SMS.
This then ensures that the authorities are aware of the case and can carry out the necessary monitoring of the patient and trace known contacts, helping to limit the further spread of the virus.
In the event that the patient purchases a test from the pharmacy but opts to take the test at home in private, the pharmacists issue information about the protocol to be followed in the event of a positive result: home isolation and to request a Covid PCR testing appointment via Murciasalud.
This of course, is entirely at the discretion of the patient and there is no follow-up on the part of the pharmacist.
Image: COFRM