Counseling a patient presenting gastrointestinal symptoms in the circumstances of a limited range of available medication – social aspects

The health and illness concepts have a major significance for both the patient and the healthcare specialists. Therefore, the role of the pharmacist is an extremely important one and, during the pandemic times, the relationship between the pharmacist and the patient has further expanded. The healthcare specialist should personalize the medical treatment plan for each individual patient, in order to obtain maximum efficiency with the lowest possible risk. Approximately 20% of all patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 present gastrointestinal symptoms, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting or generalized abdominal pain. Any treatment recommendation made by the pharmacist should take into consideration general aspects regarding the intensity and the localization of the pain, as well as any chronic or acute treatment that the patient may undergo, all relevant medical history and the immediate prognosis of the disease.