An ad hoc committee under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize a workshop to explore opportunities to improve and build upon the current evidence base on the effects of medical product shortages, and subsequent product inventory conservation efforts on patient health and to predict, prevent, and respond to such future shortages in the United States. The workshop will focus on information-sharing, supply-chain infrastructure, and enhanced collaboration among public, private and non-profit stakeholders. It will inform future research that could be conducted under real-world and simulated conditions to provide public-health officials and the general public with accurate information to support policy-making and decision-making to improve patient care.

The workshop could address the following topics and others:

*The effects of drug shortages on patient care, patient outcomes, and provider resource allocation and availability.

*Federal preparedness for shortages of key pharmaceuticals, other materials, and devices, including issues of

-Management of controlled substances.

-Product prioritization.

-Use of market information to assess the risks and effects associated with shortages of specific products in specific situations.

*Innovative approaches that could be considered by state and federal officials, public and private health-care providers, pharmacists, manufacturers, and distributors to predict, prevent, and respond to shortages and associated risks to national health security, including

-Communication strategies.

-Data-sharing.

-Critical infrastructure support.

-Participation incentives.

*Strategies that public-health and health-care providers could have in place to ensure the ability to provide high-quality patient care during shortages of pharmaceuticals and ancillary supplies that result from disasters or other public-health emergencies, as well as shortages impacting the US healthcare system on a day to day basis due to a variety of business, market and logistical factors.
The committee will develop the agenda for the workshop sessions, select and invite speakers and discussants, and moderate the discussions. A proceedings of the workshop in brief will be prepared by a rapporteur in accordance with institutional guidelines and will be subject to appropriate review procedures before release.