Delegates from the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP)’s 35 member countries came together (virtually) on 11 and 12 June for the 51st EAHP General Assembly.
During the General Assembly, the commented version of the European Statements of Hospital
Pharmacy was voted on and approved by all members.
Adopted in 2014 following a Delphi process involving more than 100 stakeholders, the European Statements represent the future of the profession, said the Association. In 2016, EAHP set up an implementation programme that started to work to bring about the full achievement of the European Statements within all member countries.
A lot has been progressed since then, said the EAHP, including the development of an online tool allowing hospital pharmacists to assess the level of implementation of the European Statements within their pharmacies.
In 2019, EAHP decided to conduct a review of the Statements to check their continued relevance and whether they effectively covered emerging issues. The EAHP Board, with the support of all EAHP Members, determined that the European Statements are still remarkably resilient.
However, the working group in charge of reviewing the Statements decided that some of them could benefit from the addition of comments to further clarify their meaning. The EAHP Board and all EAHP national associations agreed with this approach.
Thus, after a process that involved a working group of highly-qualified hospital pharmacists and all 35 national
associations, EAHP said it adopted this commented version of the European Statements.
“If Covid-19 has taught us one thing, it is the need for better preparedness for pandemics and the importance of the hospital pharmacy profession in the healthcare setting,” said the EAHP in a statement.
“We believe that the European Statements set the vision for what should be expected of hospital pharmacy and hospital pharmacists across Europe to ensure we are prepared for that next challenge to the health of our citizens.”
EAHP President András Süle added: “By working together on the implementation of the European Statements, we will not only be better prepared for future crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, but we will also improve the safety and efficacy of hospital pharmacy services.
The provision of patient-centered care is at the core of the Statements and reflects what we believe is the future of the profession”.
