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Patients and professionals agree the future of hospital pharmacy

A robust set of hospital pharmacy practice standards for Europe has been agreed at an international Summit in Brussels. These standards should be met across European health systems to ensure safe, effective and optimal use of medicines in collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams. The standards, comprising 44 statements of practice, were agreed at the European Summit on Hospital Pharmacy which concluded on Thursday 15th May, and was attended by more than 100 persons.

More information here.
 

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Consultation opens on European Professional Card for pharmacists

The European Commission has opened a short consultation (deadline 2nd June) on technical matters related to the prospective introduction of a European Professional Card for pharmacists.

The system, which emerges immediately from the recently revised Professional Qualifications Directive (January 2014), has the aim of speeding up the time it takes for an individual seeking to work in another EU country to have their qualifications recognized in another country.

The European Professional Card will not come in the form of a physical card, but rather will be an online portal system. An individual will upload relevant identity and qualification documents for recognition by their home ‘competent authority’ (e.g. a professional qualification regulator, such as a chamber of pharmacy). This will then enable them to have an immediately accessible repository of their qualification documentation, verified at their home level, for a competent authority in another country to recognize. It will prevent lengthy exchanges of documentation that can take place at the present time, blamed for some very slow recognition times.

Pharmacy, alongside the medical profession, nursing profession, engineering profession and others, is one of the professional groups the European Commission are minded to give early support to in creating the system.

Although the current consultation is aimed at professional organisations and authorities within EU countries, all interested parties are invited to take part.

The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists intend to make a short response to the consultation offering measured support for the introduction of the European Professional Card for the pharmacy profession, highlighting the need for mechanisms for individuals to be able to include advanced and specialized qualifications, and for the system to be cogniscant of the possibility that individuals could hold qualifications gained from more than one country, throwing up potential definition issues regarding the “home authority” in charge of verifying.

EAHP Members are welcome to review the consultation and consider their own responses. 

More information here.
 

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Commission seek views on future of mHealth

The European Commission is appealing to stakeholders to respond to a public consultation on their Green Paper on mobile health. They especially seek comment on the barriers that are preventing the full potential of mobile health from being unlocked. The deadline for responses is 3 July 2014.

Topics of consultation include:

• What specific security safeguards in mHealth solutions could help prevent unnecessary and unauthorized processing of health data?
• What measures are needed to fully realize the potential of mHealth generated ‘Big Data’ in the EU while complying with legal and ethical requirements?
• What good practice exists to better inform end-users about the quality and safety of mHealth solutions e.g. certifications schemes?
• The potential contribution of mHealth in constraining and curbing healthcare costs in the EU

EAHP member associations will discuss potential policy in the area of mHealth at its General Assembly in Sofia in June, and make a response reflecting the agreed points from members at that meeting.

More information here.

 

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