99% of hospital pharmacist experience difficulties with medicines shortages in past year

The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) has published headline results of a recent survey that reveals 99% of responding hospital pharmacists say they have experienced difficulties with medicines shortages in the past year.

With over 300 respondents from 27 countries, the survey also uncovered that 63% of hospital pharmacists report medicines shortages to be a weekly, sometimes daily, occurrence. 77% consider that problem has become worse in the last year.

Announcing the results at a reception in the European Parliament on access to medicines, EAHP President Dr Roberto Frontini said: “These headline results confirm what I have increasingly heard from our members across Europe: that the shortages problem is widespread, doesn’t respect national borders, and urgently requires attention if patient care and health services are not to suffer. Managing shortages and trying to source supply distracts pharmacists from other core tasks, places burden on support staff and can increase stress and workload in the pharmacy environment with consequent impacts on the risk of error. Substitution of medicines in case of shortage of formulary drugs can also confuse doctors and nurses, further raising risks to patient safety. I want to take this opportunity at the European Parliament to call on all partners to work together in identifying and enacting solutions. This includes industry and supply chain actors, regulatory authorities, and all health professions involved in medicines. I also believe there is a role for the European Commission in bringing Governments and others together on this issue.”

EAHP will publish the full results of its surveys at its forthcoming Congress in Paris, 13-15th March, 2013.

Source

EAHP

Adoption of EUCERD Recommendations on European Rare Disease Reference Networks promotes access to diagnostics and care

At the seventh meeting of the European Union Committee of Experts on Rare Diseases (EUCERD) on 31 January 2013 in Luxembourg, the EUCERD document Recommendations on Rare Disease European Reference Networks was unanimously adopted.

EURORDIS has been involved in the reflection process on Centres of Expertise and European Reference Networks from the beginning, and EURORDIS representatives at the EUCERD actively participated in the elaboration of the EUCERD Recommendations.

Learn more

Source

EURORDIS

Europe for patients: Common rules on medical prescriptions when travelling to another EU country

The Commission adopted pan-EU rules on a minimum list of elements to be included in a medical prescription taken by a patient travelling from one EU country to another. The provisions for a common way to identify the patient, the prescriber and the prescribed product, are to be put into national law by the Member States by 25 October 2013. Coordination of medical prescriptions for both medicinal products (pharmaceuticals) and medical devices will improve the authentication of cross-border prescriptions and translate into an estimated extra 200 000 prescriptions dispensed every year, benefiting patients and health authorities by avoiding delays, interruptions in treatment and extra costs.

Mr Tonio Borg, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, said: "Last year, the Commission adopted legislation on patients' rights in cross-border healthcare. Today's adoption of a code of practice for cross-border prescriptions is an essential step in achieving the main goal of this legislation: ensuring that patients' rights to access good quality treatment across EU borders becomes a reality. These rules will help secure that patients travelling to another Member State get the medicine they need in the country where they are thanks to clear cross-border prescriptions".

Solving real-life problems

Overall, the number of cross-border prescriptions is estimated to be low, around 2,3 million per year – which translates to between 0.02% and 0.04% of all prescriptions in the EU. Nevertheless, for specific groups of patients, improving the recognition of cross-border prescriptions makes an important difference. For example, for patients with chronic diseases wishing to travel to another country, for patients living in border regions or smaller Member States for whom filling out a cross-border prescription is a necessity and for patients with a rare disease, where the best expertise can be found across a border.

With the current diversity of prescriptions across the EU, it is estimated that over half of patients would have problems with their prescription being recognised in another EU country. 

The guidelines in practice

The new rules on Prescriptions take the form of an Implementing Directive. They introduce a common set of descriptive elements to help identify prescribers, patients and prescribed products. They do not, however, deal with the appearance, format or language of the prescription. Nor do they preclude further elements, in line with local practices, being added by prescribers. These common elements are limited to cross-border prescriptions requested by the patient, not prescriptions used within a country (unless a Member State so chooses).

National Contact Points, established under the Cross-border healthcare Directive will inform patients on the right to travel with a cross-border prescription when visiting another Member State as well as the minimum list of elements that it should contain.

For more information on cross-border healthcare, including prescriptions:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/cross_border_care/policy/index_en.htm

Source

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-1422_en.htm

Conference for the Electronic Prescribing in Hospitals

Tuesday 22 January 2013 ICO Conference Centre, London

This one day conference focuses on delivering electronic prescribing and medicines administration in hospitals - moving forward 

• Electronic Prescribing: Delivering the Information Strategy 
• Developing the business case for Electronic Prescribing 
• Electronic Prescribing: Learning from experienced implementers 
• Realising the Clinical Benefits and engaging Clinical Staff 
• Implementing e-prescribing and medicines administration in practice 
• Electronic Prescribing, Medication Errors and Patient Safety 
• Electronic Prescribing as part of the paperless hospital including moving into more complex areas 
• Electronic Prescribing: Next Steps 

The programm is HERE.


Source

http://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/electronic-prescribing-in-hospitals

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and good health to all!

2012, which soon comes to an end, fills us with memories of a period of hardship due to the financial crisis and its consequences, but also of a year full of new projects and new partnerships offering an optimistic view for the future.

We are looking forward to a new productive year, wishing you all Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a happy, peaceful and creative 2013!

European Hospital and Community Pharmacists issue joint statement on future pharmacist roles

The two organisations representing community and hospital pharmacists in Europe have come together to make a declaration on the development of the pharmacy profession.

The joint statement by the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) and the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) represents a call to action to national governments to, firstly, enable pharmacists to increase their role in optimising patient use of medicines, and, secondly, to improve the systems supporting multi-professional care across Europe.
EAHP and PGEU believe that pharmacists, as experts in medicines, should be at the heart of national strategies to ensure best outcomes for patients. This includes pharmacists educating patients about the optimal use of their medicines, and helping to ensure that potential polypharmacy problems, which can arise when a patient takes multiple medications, are satisfactorily resolved and reconciled.
The development of these roles for pharmacists is especially relevant in view of Europe’s ageing population, combined with the pressures on public spending that are likely for the foreseeable future. In this sense, it has never been more important to ensure national spending on medicines achieves intended outcomes in a cost-effective manner.

Pharmacists, in both community and hospital settings, are uniquely placed to facilitate this, so long as health policy makers recognise the opportunity and make the necessary commitments to its achievement.

Finally, the joint statement also highlights the need for multi-professional approaches to healthcare delivery to ensure integrated and seamless patient care. This includes improving systems for communication between health sectors when a patient transfers between hospital and community (and vice-versa), especially in relation to situations where changes are made to a patient’s medication.
PGEU and EAHP call for commitment from Governments to achieving multi-professional care, and for the integration of the multi-professional team concept within health professional education curriculums.

Speaking on the publication of the statement, Dr. Roberto Frontini, EAHP President said:

“The joint statement by EAHP and PGEU represents our shared goals in maximising the benefits the health service derives from pharmacists’ expertise in medicines. More than ever before decision makers in the health sector must ask and answer important questions about improving value and the outcomes achieved for patients. The pharmacist’s positive role in ensuring optimal use of medicines by patients is therefore a central consideration to successfully meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

Ms Isabelle Adenot, PGEU President said:

“While patients receive primary care as well as hospital-based care, European pharmacists practice in both settings and share the challenge of improving the rational use of medicines. Having a common roadmap can help them to progress. This is the purpose of our joint statement.”

Statement here.

Source

http://www.eahp.eu/news/EU-monitor