ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING THE NUMBER OF CALLS FOR EMERGENCY TEAMS TO PHARMACIES OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of factors influencing the number of calls for emergency teams (Emergency Teams - hereinafter ETs) to pharmacies in Minsk and regional centers of the Republic of Belarus. The data about the number of calls to ETs are provided by the city or regional emergency medical settings (hereinafter referred as EMS). A retrospective analysis of ETs calls to pharmacies was carried out during 01.01.2013-31.12.2018. The study covered 2,214 ETs calls and 1,386 pharmacies were included. The factors studied were considered: the number of population living in Minsk and regional centers, the form of pharmacies ownership, their category and location, the distance from health care institutions, the presence of traffiс bus stops (including underground railway stations) and shopping facilities near pharmacies. We used the correlation analysis and 2 x 2 contingency tables to study the relationship between the number of ETs calls to pharmacies. As a result of the study, it was found out that with an increase in the population and the number of pharmacies of the 1st, 2nd and 5th categories the number of calls to pharmacies increased; more calls were from pharmacies of the 1st and 2nd categories compared to pharmacies of the 5th category in Minsk and regional centers. There is a tendency to the decrease of ETs calls to pharmacies as to their distance from healthcare institutions. The other factors (pharmacy location, traffic bus stops and trade organizations locations near it) influence the number of ETs calls to pharmacies in different ways depending on the region. It is concluded that at any pharmacy a customer may have a health problem requiring medical care.