As EAHP continues to receive requests regarding assistance in various areas of hospital pharmacy practice, EAHP is setting up SIGs to address the needs of patients. 

SIGs are comprised of professionals that focus on specific topics related to pharmaceutical care, medical devices and many other related areas. Members of the SIGs should be hospital pharmacists and other specialty pharmacists, doctors, nurses, patients and pharmaceutical industry leaders for the various subject-matter areas.

Groups will be formed based on information gathered via EAHP’s various surveys, input from the Education Executive Committee, Scientific Committee and Board Members. Funding will be necessary in order to facilitate this effort as there will be costs related to meetings, virtual platforms, web site and discussion forums, all of which will enable the SIGs to publish papers related to the specific topics in the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy and provide other outcomes as requested by the GA/Board.

EAHP currently has 3 active SIGs. 

SIG goals

For each topic area, the below actions should take place:

• Gathering and evaluating the evidence in the specific, innovative and novel fields of HP practice
• Exchanging the best practices
• Proposing educational content for EAHP educational events and creating and facilitating educational content using various educational platforms
• Support preparation and drafting position papers and pan-European guidelines in the selected fields of HP practice
• Support EAHP Board and policy team in formulating EAHP positions, proposals or providing feedback to stakeholders such as European Commission and European Medicines Agency.
• Analysis of the role of hospital pharmacists in light of the needs of everyday hospital pharmacy practice 
• Assessment and evaluation of established procedures in hospital pharmacies to ensure optimal patient care

Benefits

• to bring professionals together with a common interest to advance patient safety and outcomes by sharing ideas, opinions and experience with their peers
• to provide pharmacists across Europe with direct access to information related to specific topics
• to provide the transfer of knowledge between healthcare, academia and industry professionals and researchers and to provide networking opportunities
• to incorporate the interest of healthcare professionals with those of patients
• to provide reliable health information resources for healthcare professionals and patients 
• to increase awareness among stakeholders to strengthen partnerships in order to optimize patient care
• to facilitate access to information through the EAHP web site, newsletters, publications, etc.

EAHP’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) gather and evaluate the evidence in specific, innovative and novel fields of hospital pharmacy practice with the aim to address patient needs and to advance the profession. 

EAHP currently has SIGs working on

• The Investigation of Medication Errors in Intensive Care Units (financially supported by BD)
• Automated Medication Management (financially supported by Omnicell)
• The Use of Prefilled Syringes in Intensive Care Units and Operating Theaters (financially supported by BD)
• The hospital pharmacist’s preparedness for in-vivo gene therapy medicinal products (financially supported by Pfizer)
• Eliminating Avoidable Harm (financially supported by Baxter) 
• Controlled Substances Management (financially supported by BD)

If you want to learn more about our SIGs please contact Jennie.DeGreef[at]eahp[dot]eu