23rd May 2011

EAHP ANNUAL ACADEMY SEMINAR – 20-22 May 2011- BELGRADE, SERBIA

The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists, in coordination with the hospital pharmacy section of the Pharmaceutical Association of Serbia, has welcomed in Belgrade, Serbia, 44 head pharmacists coming from 14 different Eastern European countries to the annual EAHP Academy Seminar, 20-22 May 2011.

This year topic has focused on “Hospital pharmacists as part of the therapeutic drug committee” and “Patient Safety: The role of hospital pharmacists in risk management”. Through the presentations and workshopsgiven by Prof. Dr. David Gerrett, United Kingdom, and Dr. Gunar Stemer, Austria, the participants have had the opportunity to learn and network with colleagues from other countries about key aspects of their profession.

“Hospital pharmacists as part of the therapeutic drug committee”

Dr. Gunar Stemer

In most of the European countries 'drugs and therapeutic committees' are mandated either through regulation or best practice guidance. The involvement of the hospital pharmacist as member of the committee is different in various countries. Often the hospital pharmacist's role is as the secretary of this committee. In reality hospital pharmacists are doing analyses on consumption, evaluating the outcome of clinical trials and give proposals for the introduction of new medicines or choice between medicines where there are several from the same class. This work supports the creation of guidelines that improve access to medicines that can have a positive clinical outcome for the patient.

“Patient Safety: The role of hospital pharmacists in risk management”

Prof. Dr. David Gerrett

As well as offering benefit, the use of medicines brings with it risks. Those risks can arise through adverse reactions but more frequently they arise because of system failures at stages within the medicines use process. There are generic tools available to help recognize, investigate and then find, implement and test solutions to avoid future failures. These tools are applicable across many different industries and are collectively known as 'risk management'. The seminar has outlined how risk management can be applied to pharmacy practice in the hospital setting and in particular to developing systems that improve medication safety.

For further information send an e-mail to ec@eahp.eu

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE EAHP ACADEMY SEMINAR

• What is the EAHP Academy Seminar?

The aim of the EAHP Academy is to foster research and educational activities to allow hospital pharmacists of every European country to develop their activities in a general setting of public health in Europe or in their country.

• Objectives of the EAHP Academy Seminar

Through the initiatives of research and educational programmes, the goal of the EAHP Academy Seminar is to further hospital pharmacy progress by improving its integration into healthcare systems of every country as well as the healthcare given to patients. One of the contributions of the Academy is to help hospital pharmacists, either in their roles as hospital practitioners or in research or in a University, to get their work recognised through publication.

• Seminars

Since 2006, EAHP holds seminars, previously under the name of "Foundation seminars" until 2010, at which point the Foundation was merged with EAHP. It was during this merge that the title of the annual event was changed to the "Academy Seminar". This annual event is held in Eastern European countries which have been members of the European Union since the 2004 enlargement (and the following ones). Participation is on invitation only and is reserved to hospital pharmacists based in the above mentioned countries or from new state members of EAHP.