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

RJoin 1 of 10 EAHP Open Learning courses

 

Online exchanges and training have gained more and more importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. To support its members all across Europe, the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) initiated the creation of an open learning environment in spring 2018. Since then 10 different open learning courses have been added ranging from 1.5 hour training on specific topics to 5 hour in-depth courses. 

Hospital pharmacists and other interested healthcare professionals can choose from the following courses: 

• Management and Leadership
• Medicines Shortages – Causation and Approaches to Improvements
• Therapeutic Drug Monitoring as a Tool for Therapy Optimisation
• Anticoagulants - Show me the evidence!
• The essentials of biologicals – past, present and future
• Biosimilars in cancer care - the next challenge
• Anticoagulation - From theory to practice
• Biosimilars in breast cancer - the next challenge
• Facing Brexit and FMD - Is Europe ready for the double “storm”?
• Biosimilars – available yet sometimes missing – the challenge of procurement

EAHP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Participants of the open learning courses will be entitled ACPE credits. These credits can be obtained after the completion of the course and a short survey.

Access EAHP’s Open Learning courses via the following LINK

Mark your calendar – it’s almost World Pharmacist Day 

 

Every year on 25 September, the pharmacy community brings attention to the positive benefits offered by pharmacists around the globe when it comes to health. Established by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), the World Pharmacist Day boosts the organisation of activities that promote and advocate for the role of the pharmacist linked to this year’s theme “Transforming global health”. EAHP is encouraging its member organisations to participate actively by communicating how hospital pharmacists are transforming health through a variety of health services!

Learn more about the World Pharmacist Day HERE

 

 

Optimal care for the management of older people with frailty non-weight bearing after lower limb fracture: a consensus study

An online consensus survey to define the optimal care for older people with frailty who are non-weight bearing after a lower limb fracture has been launched. This study is led by Professor John Gladman (Division of Rehabilitation, Ageing and Wellbeing, Medical School, University of Nottingham), funded by the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, and has obtained research ethics approval from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee/ Nottingham University (FMHS REC ref no 423-1911). 

Healthcare professionals, including hospital pharmacists, are encouraged to participate in the study. The online survey is conducted in the form of a Delphi study, meaning there will be three rounds. In each round, participants will be asked to rate their agreement with a series of statements by marking ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ and a box for free-text comments will be provided to suggest amendments or clarifications to the statements. It will take you around 20-30 minutes to complete statements in each round.

Access the survey HERE

 

 

Evaluation of orphan and paediatric medicines legislation

In mid-August, the European Commission shared its evaluation of the Regulations on medicinal products for paediatric use and on orphan medicinal products. The review of both legislative instruments concluded that they had fostered the development and availability of medicines for children and patients with rare diseases. However, despite the increase in treatment options for these patient groups, the findings also highlighted different shortcomings. 

Although more patients are benefiting and the number of clinical trials for children increased the positive impact of both Regulations is not reaching everyone.  Developments are lacking, in particular, in areas with the greatest therapeutic need and not all patients across the EU have equal access to the medicines marketed due to the Paediatric and the Orphan Regulation. As a next step, the European Commission is working on a preliminary impact assessment that will be released in autumn. 

More information about the evaluation is available HERE

 

FIP report on the pharmacists’ role in “Medication without harm”

To inform policy and practice development of patient and medication safety initiatives the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has put together a reference document. Titled ‘The Pharmacists’ role in “Medication without harm”’, the reference document provides information about what pharmacists can do to promote patient safety at an individual patient level as well as at organisational levels.

The document shares insights on patient safety practices in Australia, Canada, Finland, India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the Netherlands and the USA. Besides, it outlines how Europe is improving polypharmacy, offers information on pharmacists’ value in collaborative healthcare teams and discusses some of the potential key risks to patient safety during the different stages of the medicines use process. 

Read the reference document on patient safety HERE

 

EJHP: Read the September issue!

The latest issue of the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (EJHP) is available. It features two editorials, a systematic review on safety, time and cost evaluation of automated and semi-automated drug distribution systems in hospitals and several original articles and short reports. Among other things, it informs about critical care drug requirements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports on the application of vancomycin in patients with augmented renal clearance and analysis of the impact of antimicrobial management and rational use of antibiotics. 

Read the EJHP September issue 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

WHO - Corticosteroids for COVID-19 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published a living guidance on Corticosteroids for COVID-19. The document targets primarily of clinicians, and, secondarily, health care decision-makers. It looks at the role of systemic corticosteroids in the treatment of patients with COVID-19.

Learn more HERE

   

Update your self-assessment via SAT!

Thanks to those hospital pharmacies that have already completed their self-assessment! In case your evaluation is older than one year, EAHP would like to encourage you to update it via the self-assessment tool (SAT)! You can access your assessment via the SAT website. In case you did not know yet, please note that 13 different language versions (Czech, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish and Turkish) have been made available to help you update your assessment.

 

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Consultations 

 

EMA – Communication perception survey 2020

This questionnaire aims to collect your views on the strengths and weaknesses of EMA’s external communication. It takes between 10 and 25 minutes to complete. Responses to the survey will help EMA to identify and address potential shortcomings and to better meet the communication needs of its stakeholders and partners.

Deadline – 13^th September 2020

Access the Consultation HERE

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 – 15^th September 2020

Access the public consultation HERE