The role of pharmacists in nuclear risk management: a survey of pharmacies in high-risk areas

Nuclear power is France's main source of electricity. In the event of a major accident, people living around nuclear power plants would be the first to be affected. For this reason, the prefects' action plan is twofold: to take iodine tablets to saturate the thyroid gland, and to confine or evacuate residents. The dispensing pharmacist secures the dispensing of the tablets and relays information on what to do in the event of a nuclear accident. We conducted a qualitative survey in the form of semi-structured interviews with pharmacies located within a 10 to 20 kilometer radius. The aim was to gather feedback from professionals on the conduct of the distribution campaign organized in 2019. Our survey covered three main areas: training and/or information received by pharmacy teams; organization of the campaign; and areas for improvement. Several findings emerged. Firstly, access to information varied both between regions and within individual pharmacies. Secondly, the management and organization of the campaign needs to be improved, particularly in terms of enhancing the role of pharmacy teams and ensuring traceability of dispensations. We have also identified that general advice on what to do in the event of a nuclear accident is rarely given. More substantial information and training measures are needed to reinforce the involvement of pharmacies in campaigns and ensure optimum patient protection. It would also be useful to get feedback from patients on how they see the pharmacist's role in campaigns, and what their expectations are