EU MONITOR -Congress & abstract registration opens on 1 August!
The EAHP EU Monitor is a regular round up of news relevant to hospital pharmacy in Europe.
Join us in Vienna to celebrate EAHP’s 25th Congress in March 2021
The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) cordially invites hospital pharmacists and other interested healthcare professionals to join the Association’s 25th Anniversary Congress. Between 24th and 26th of March 2021, EAHP will celebrate the silver jubilee of its congress together with hospital pharmacy professionals from all over the world in Vienna, Austria.
To commemorate this special occasion, the Scientific Committee of EAHP has prepared an exciting programme touching upon the future of the profession. Under the main headline "Hospital Pharmacy 5.0 – the future of patient care", experts will share the latest advances in technologies that will shape the way how pharmaceutical care in hospitals will be delivered in the upcoming decades. By joining EAHP’s anniversary congress, participants will be able to attend keynotes, seminars and workshops focused on artificial intelligence, mHealth, 3D printing, personalised medicine and other subjects that will influence the work of hospital pharmacists towards the optimal outcomes for patients. Like every year, the congress programme will also feature Synergy Satellite events which are in 2021 looking at recent and innovative developments in the field of biosimilars and antithrombotic stewardship.
Until 15th October 2020, hospital pharmacists can put forward their abstracts. Original contributions from all fields of hospital pharmacy are welcomed for poster presentation. The poster award nominees will be determined in November 2020 and provided with the opportunity to give an oral presentation during the 25thEAHP Congress.
Congress registration and abstract submission will open on 1st August 2020.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with the latest news from #EAHP2021!
Register HERE
Learn more about the abstract submission process HERE
EAHP and PGEU strengthen their collaboration
Last week, EAHP and the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to intensify the collaboration between community and hospital pharmacists. Both organisations are looking forward to fostering the development of the pharmacy profession. Key focus will be put on guaranteeing the safety of patients, supporting the seamless transition of care and maximising the benefits of pharmaceutical treatments and care.
EAHP’s President Petr Horák highlighted that “EAHP is looking forward to working with PGEU on forthcoming topics relevant to community and hospital pharmacists by signing this Memorandum of Understanding. There’s surely a great deal of work ahead of us to progress the goals of improving patient outcomes in Europe”.
EAHP will keep its members updated about the collaboration via its social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn) and its website.
EUnetHTA’s COVID-19 response
Earlier this month, the European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) launched its COVID-19-related repository of publications and outputs. The repository gathers publications by EUnetHTA and by Health Technology Assessment (HTA) organisations on testing methods and devices, treatment options, and other public health measures relevant to COVID-19.
Key contributions by EUnetHTA include ‘Rapid Collaborative Reviews’ for diagnostic testing and ‘Rolling Collaborative Reviews’ for therapeutic treatment. These are evidence-based reports that inform policy, decision-making, and health service planning. Their primary objective is to provide decision-makers with a timely synthesis of available evidence on the comparative effectiveness and safety of health technologies (diagnostic, therapeutic, etc.) for the management of the current pandemic, with continuous updates as research evolves. The first report on the ‘Rapid Collaborative Review on the role of antibody tests for novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in the management of the current pandemic’ has already been made available.
EUnetHTA focuses on EU cooperation on HTA. It was launched in June 2016, and runs until June 2021. The Joint Action is co-funded by the EU Health Programme and includes government appointed organisations and a large number of relevant regional agencies and not-for-profit organisations that produce or contribute to HTA in Europe (i.e. 86 organisations from 26 Member States plus Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine and United Kingdom).
Learn more HERE
German Council Presidency – Together for Europe’s recovery
On 1 July, Germany took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Under the motto “Together for Europe’s recovery” Germany seeks create a stronger, more innovative, fair and sustainable Europe. In the field of health emphasis will be put on acting together towards European health sovereignty.
Over the course of the next 6 months, Germany will be working on improving EU crisis management, ensuring the supply of medicinal products, improving access to and sharing of health data and strengthening the EU’s role in global health. To this end discussions will be held to exchange about the lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and to elaborate how the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) can be strengthened and the supply of medicinal products can be guaranteed.
The German Council Presidency also marks the start of a new trio presidency which is highly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and has consequently placed health high on the agenda. Together with Portugal and Slovenia, Germany will work towards continuing to improve the EU’s crisis response, strengthening the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and existing pan-European structures such as the ECDC, as well as promoting the digital exchange of health data, while paying utmost respect to data protection. Furthermore, the trio partners will continue the joint initiative to strengthen the EU's role in global health.
Learn more about the German Council Presidency HERE
Read the trio programme HERE
FIP issues guidance to help pharmacists with the implementation of vaccination services
The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has put together a guide for pharmacists titled “Give it a shot: Expanding immunisation coverage through pharmacists” to help them develop their role in vaccination. The document offers practical guidance on implementing a vaccination service and sets out the roles and technical requirements for pharmacy-based vaccines-related services. FIP is making this guidance document freely available to pharmacists and their teams around the world. It makes the case for pharmacy-based vaccinations and presents a compilation of evidence and best practice from around the world.
Access the guide HERE
EMA-HMA launch joint network strategy
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) have developed a joint strategy for the next five years detailing how the network of both agencies can continue to enable the supply of safe and effective medicines that meet patients’ needs in the face of challenges posed by ever-accelerating developments in science, medicine, digital technologies, globalisation as well as emerging health threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Until 4 September feedback can be shared on the six priorities areas included in the draft strategy. These cover
- the availability and accessibility of medicines;
- data analytics, digital tools and digital transformation;
- innovation;
- antimicrobial resistance and other emerging health threats;
- supply chain challenges; and,
- the sustainability of the network and operational excellence.
Access the consultation HERE
EJHP: Severe and fatal medication errors in hospitals: findings from the Norwegian Incident Reporting System
The online first edition of the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (EJHP) released an original article analysing the finding from the Norwegian Incident Reporting System. After looking at medication errors reported in 2016 and 2017 it was concluded that medication errors most commonly occurred during medication administration. Dosing errors were the most common error type. The substantial number of severe and fatal errors causing preventable patient harm and death emphasises an urgent need for error-prevention strategies. Additional studies and interventions should further investigate the error-prone medication administration stage in hospitals and explore the dynamics of severe incidents.
Read the article HERE
[COVID-19 Updates]
EAHP’s COVID-19 Resource Centre
To assist its member associations and individual hospital pharmacists in this critical time with the provision of the best possible care for patients, EAHP has decided to gather and make available information on COVID-19 relevant for the hospital pharmacy profession.
Access the Resource Centre HERE
United Kingdom - Guidance for use in healthcare settings
Health Protection Scotland has put together detailed information for healthcare professionals on COVID-19.
Learn more HERE
American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy - Perspectives from the frontline: A pharmacy department's response to the COVID-19 pandemic
The report describe the institution's strategy to deploy pharmacy resources and standardise pharmacy processes to optimise the management of patients with COVID-19.
Learn more HERE
Measure your compliance with the European Statements!
Have your heard about the European Statements of Hospital Pharmacy? Established in 2014, they express commonly agreed objectives that every European health system should aim for in the delivery of hospital pharmacy services. To help your pharmacy with their implementation, EAHP has developed a self-assessment tool (SAT). By answering the questions included in the SAT, hospital pharmacists can assess their level of Statement compliance. To facilitate the uptake 13 different language versions (Czech, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish and Turkish) have been made available. In case your hospital has not taken the SAT yet, make sure to engage with your colleagues to complete your SAT. More information about the tool is available on the SAT website.
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Consultations
Commission – Public consultation: Pharmaceuticals – safe and affordable medicines (new EU strategy)
The consultation is looking for input from the public, experts and stakeholders on the following key themes: strategic autonomy and manufacturing of medicines, access to affordable medicines, innovation, and environmental sustainability and health challenges.
Deadline – 15th September 2020
Access the public consultation HERE
