The EAHP EU Monitor is a regular round up of news relevant to hospital pharmacy in Europe.

 

Interested in controlled substances management? Join EAHP's Special Interest Group!

The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) is looking for members to join the Special Interest Group (SIG) on Controlled Substances Management in European Hospitals (financially supported by BD). The SIG will kick off its work in the coming weeks.

Applicants should:

• have a proven scientific curriculum/background and/or relevant (work) experience linked to the management of controlled substances
• ideally, have gained experience in the topic and working with hospital management and other professionals to drive changes within their pharmacies
• have the ability to collect and analyse data, and disseminate public health information
• have sufficient time to commit themselves to the work of the SIG which will involve regular (online) meeting attendance including preparation and follow-up activities determined during the SIG meetings

Professionals interested in joining EAHP's SIG on Controlled Substances Management should send their CV and motivation letter by 15 March 2023 to Jennie.DeGreef[at]eahp[dot]eu.

Learn more about the eligibility criteria and the application process HERE

 

Join EAHP's 27th Congress

Next week, the 27th Congress of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) will welcome professionals from all around the globe. It's still possible to register online or on-site. Hurry, so that you don't miss the largest European gathering of the profession from 22 to 24 March in Lisbon.

A rich scientific programme centring around the theme "From drug design to treatment success – What really matters to patients?" and a packed exhibition area are awaiting those that will stream the Portuguese capital next week. Three keynotes will focus on the opportunities for personalised medicine, improvements in the communication of risks and benefits to patients and patient involvement in pharmacy practice research. Medication safety, compounding, communication, patient involvement, procurement, shortages and digitalisation are some of the topics covered by the different interactive sessions.

Register for EAHP's 27th Congress HERE

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with the latest news from #EAHP2023

 

Council of Europe – recommendation on access to medicines and devices

In February, the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers adopted a Recommendation seeking to promote equitable access to medicinal products and medical equipment in a situation of shortage and to safeguard the fundamental rights of individuals who need them for serious or life-threatening health conditions in the 46 Council of Europe member states.

Recommendation CM/REC(2023)1 on "Equitable access to medicinal products and medical equipment in a situation of shortage" was prepared as a response to the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing shortages of medicines and medical devices across Europe. It calls for ensuring that there is a system in place to prevent and mitigate situations of shortage and to better prepare for such shortages.

Read the recommendation HERE

 

 

HMA/EMA multi-stakeholder workshop on shortages

At the beginning of March, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) organised a two-day workshop focused on medicine shortages. EAHP's Director of Professional Development Despoina Makridaki represented the views of hospital pharmacists.

Workshop participants were informed about the HMA/EMA Task Force activities on medicines shortages and availability and interfaces with other initiatives, received updates on the progress with the Task Force deliverables and identify areas of agreement as well as areas for further discussion and had the possibility to share their perspectives and activities seeking to address availability issues.

Access the recordings and presentations of the workshop HERE

 

 

Medical Device Regulations – longer transition periods

With last week's vote in favour of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission's proposal giving notified bodies and manufacturers more time to certify medical devices is well on its way towards adoption and publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The proposal was put forward in light of a slower than anticipated transition from the older Directives to the new Regulation. Due to this healthcare systems are facing a risk of device shortages that the EU is trying to address by extending the transition periods. Higher-risk devices like implants will be subject to the requirements under the Regulation by December 2027, while medium- to lower-risk devices have until December 2028.

Access the proposal and information on the legislative procedure HERE

 

 

European Parliament - Subcommittee on Public Health

During today's plenary sitting of the European Parliament, the members of the new subcommittee on Public Health (SANT) were announced. The subcommittee is comprised of 30 full members. It is set up under the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).

The subcommittee's responsibilities include public health matters and specifically the programs and actions in the field of public health challenges, the prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases, cross-border health threats, medical products including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, the European Medicines Agency, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority. Legislative power will remain in the ENVI Committee.

See who is involved in the subcommittee HERE

 

 

EJHP: Retrospective review of medication-related incidents at a major teaching hospital and the potential mitigation of these incidents with electronic prescribing and medicines administration

An online first article recently published in the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (EJHP) aims to describe the frequency of the different types of medication-related incidents that caused patient harm, or adverse consequences, in a major teaching hospital and investigate whether the likelihood of these incidents occurring would have been reduced by electronic prescribing and medicines administration (EPMA). The study found that administration incidents were the most common type of medication-related incidents. Most of the incidents (n=243, 62.8%) could not be mitigated by EPMA in any circumstance, even with connectivity between technologies. EPMA has the potential to prevent certain types of harmful medication-related incidents, and further improvements could be achieved with configuration and development.

Read the article HERE

 

 

[Consultations]

 

Drug Information Centre Survey

The University Hospitals of Leuven (UZ Leuven) is developing a drug information centre (DIC) to expand their current services. A DIC is defined as a centre that provides technical and scientific information about drugs in an objective and timely manner to ensure the safe and effective use of therapeutic and diagnostic pharmaceuticals. To support the development of the DIC in UZ Leuven a survey has been designed aiming to collect information about the operations, service characteristics and governance of DIC's already operating in Europe. This survey will take approximately 3-20 minutes to complete depending on the path which is followed.

Contribute to the survey via the following LINK

Bedside clinical pharmacists in Europe

In this research, organized by the Semmelweis University, Hungary the position of bedside clinical pharmacists in hospitals will be assessed to gain insight into the routine practices and the provided clinical pharmacy services. The researchers would like to hear your opinion based on your experiences, so there are no correct or incorrect answers. It takes about 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire.

Contribute to the survey via the following LINK

 

European Paediatric Formulary: Chloral Hydrate Oral Solution monograph

The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) released Issue 5 of Pharmeuropa PaedForm, in which the draft text for Chloral hydrate 100 mg/mL Oral Solution is published for public consultation prior to its inclusion in the European Paediatric Formulary. The deadline for comments on the text in Pharmeuropa PaedForm is 31 March 2023. This is the sixth monograph elaborated on by the PaedF Working Party. The EDQM welcomes all comments on this new monograph from users and interested parties.

Learn more about this consultation HERE