Emergency services under pressure: Pharmacists fight with falling opening times!

In recent years, the framework conditions for pharmacies in the Wetteraukreis and beyond have changed significantly. Pharmacist Bernd Ulrich from Friedberg, for example, reduced his on -call services from the past 30 to now only 16 services outside of regular opening hours. At the moment, the journey for patients is an average of eight kilometers, although it can happen that they have to travel up to 25 street kilometers. These reforms are part of a new system that has been in force since January 1, 2024 and regulates the division of emergency services by software. The goal is a fairer distribution of the services.

Jürgen Klein, pharmacist from Nidda, reports that he also halved his services, from about 50 to 25 per year. During his emergency services, however, he found an increase in customer inquiries, with 58 calls in a single night. According to Klein, the changes have also contributed to the fact that his fatigue has decreased during the service, since the emergency services are now better distributed. The cancellation of the previous emergency service circles is intended to ensure even coverage and has overall a positive balance; So far only a few complaints have been expressed from the population.

increased number of patients and digitization

Although the number of public pharmacies in the Wetteraukreis has dropped from 66 to 56 in the past ten years, pharmacists report on an increase in customers during their emergency services. Bernd Ulrich now recorded 140 to 160 patients per night, an increase compared to earlier 50 to 60 patients. Patients increasingly ask about the availability of certain medication. According to the ADHOC pharmacy, the new electronic recipe enables faster patient care, but also has an impact on the processes, especially if medication is not in stock.

The number of emergency services in Hessian pharmacies reduced from around 34,000 in 2023 to around 23,000 in 2024. Despite this reduction, the pharmacy chamber reports that the quality of the supply has not been affected. Patients can find out more about a hotline or an online search portal about apps for medication query and emergency services. This illustrates how digitization and the e-recipe not only make processes easier, but also improve communication between patients, pharmacists and doctors. The developed digital solutions offer pharmacists a better organization during their services and should optimize patient care.