Medicine for the World: A Guide for Medication Acquisition for Charitable Care Settings
Abstract
Objective: Accessing equitable medications and supplies for use in charitable care settings in the US and internationally can be challenging due to a number of issues. Currently, a gap exists in the literature on how to acquire medications for charitable care and how to transport medications internationally. This research aims to establish “Medicine for the World,” a reference guide designed to aid healthcare professionals in obtaining medications for charitable care and global outreach. Methods: To develop “Medicine for the World”, a two-stage literature and resource review was conducted. Stage one involved reviewing prior peer-reviewed and grey literature focused on medication acquisition for international charitable care, with an emphasis on determining local availability of medications and universal requirements for transporting internationally. One pharmacist and one pharmacy student evaluated each piece of literature and identified the relevancy of the information to medication acquisition. Stage two involved a systematic review of identified non profit organizations for information on medication services. Results: In stage one, thirty-three articles were identified as pertaining to medication acquisition for international charitable care by researchers, but none were comprehensive. Twenty-five nonprofit organizations were identified as engaged in charitable care medication distribution, in the US and internationally. Researchers found that partnership requirements, order processes, and the expanse of medications and supplies offered varied greatly between organizations. Conclusion: This research demonstrates the need for a comprehensive guide for acquiring medications for charitable care settings. “Medicine for the World” is designed to address this need by providing detailed, evidence-based information on the processes of acquiring and transporting medications, as well as in-depth overviews of each nonprofit’s medication services. This open-access document will serve as a resource in aiding healthcare professionals in providing equitable access to medications and supplies through charitable care efforts.
Start Time
16-4-2025 9:00 AM
End Time
16-4-2025 11:30 AM
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Category
Health
Student Type
Clinical Doctoral Student (e.g., medical student, pharmacy student)
Faculty Mentor
Kylie Futrell
Faculty Department
Pharmacy Practice
Medicine for the World: A Guide for Medication Acquisition for Charitable Care Settings
Objective: Accessing equitable medications and supplies for use in charitable care settings in the US and internationally can be challenging due to a number of issues. Currently, a gap exists in the literature on how to acquire medications for charitable care and how to transport medications internationally. This research aims to establish “Medicine for the World,” a reference guide designed to aid healthcare professionals in obtaining medications for charitable care and global outreach. Methods: To develop “Medicine for the World”, a two-stage literature and resource review was conducted. Stage one involved reviewing prior peer-reviewed and grey literature focused on medication acquisition for international charitable care, with an emphasis on determining local availability of medications and universal requirements for transporting internationally. One pharmacist and one pharmacy student evaluated each piece of literature and identified the relevancy of the information to medication acquisition. Stage two involved a systematic review of identified non profit organizations for information on medication services. Results: In stage one, thirty-three articles were identified as pertaining to medication acquisition for international charitable care by researchers, but none were comprehensive. Twenty-five nonprofit organizations were identified as engaged in charitable care medication distribution, in the US and internationally. Researchers found that partnership requirements, order processes, and the expanse of medications and supplies offered varied greatly between organizations. Conclusion: This research demonstrates the need for a comprehensive guide for acquiring medications for charitable care settings. “Medicine for the World” is designed to address this need by providing detailed, evidence-based information on the processes of acquiring and transporting medications, as well as in-depth overviews of each nonprofit’s medication services. This open-access document will serve as a resource in aiding healthcare professionals in providing equitable access to medications and supplies through charitable care efforts.