EAHP represents over 30,000 hospital pharmacists across 37 member countries. EAHP represents and develops the hospital pharmacy profession within Europe in order to ensure the continuous improvement of care and outcomes for patients in the hospital setting. This is achieved through science, research, education, practice, as well as sharing best-practice and responsibility with other healthcare professional
The EAHP Board, elected for three-year terms, oversees the association’s activities. Comprising directors responsible for core functions, it meets regularly to implement strategic goals. Supported by EAHP staff, the Board controls finances, coordinates congress organization, and ensures compliance with statutes and codes of conduct.
The EAHP staff supports the Board in executing EAHP’s mission. The Staff assists in financial management, events organisations, policy activities and all EAHP projects. The EAHP staff works closely with EAHP’s members and ensures the effective communication all relevant stakeholders.
The first member countries were Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, the Federal Republic, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands in 1972. EAHP has now 36 EAHP members and 2 Associate Members. EAHP is open to countries members of the Council of Europe and since 2022 to organisations representing the interests of hospital pharmacists from outside the Council of Europe (Associate Membership)
EAHP’s structure is also composed by different standing committes: EAHP Scientific Committee, EAHP Education Executive Committee and the EAHP CTF Steering Committee.
At EAHP, we are committed to transparency in our governance, ethical standards, and funding practices. This section provides open access to our foundational documents, including the EAHP Statutes, Code of Conduct, and Funding Sources. By sharing these resources, we aim to uphold accountability and foster trust with our members, partners, and the public.
Keep up with all EAHP’s events and webinars. Contact the team at info@eahp.eu should you have any questions about upcoming events or activities.
Here you can find all upcoming events organised by EAHP and by all its members and associate members. Do not hesitate to contact the events team at events@eahp.eu should you have any questions about the organisation of these events.
Hospital pharmacists conduct a critical role in the care of patients in hospitals. Learn more about what they do here and in all the pages under Hospital Pharmacy practice and Policy.
Self-Assessment
SILCC
Closed SIGs
EAHP brings together experts from many areas of hospital pharmacy practice providing and highlighting good local sustainable practices as that can be up-scaled and shared with other countries. The EAHP Working Group on Sustainability has the aim of reducing the environmental burden of the hospital pharmacy services.
The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP), and its 36 member country platforms are creating a Common Training Framework for the hospital pharmacy education in Europe. The goal of this project is to allow the free movement of hospital pharmacists within the European Union.
The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) and the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP) have collaboratively developed the Oath to Society. The Oath to Society is all encompassing and acts as a contract for excellence in providing compassionate patient care, working as part of the healthcare team and advancing the pharmacy profession, and showcasing how clinical and hospital pharmacists work every day
A day created to highlight the importance and to celebrate the work done by hospital pharmacies. This day celebrates all hospital pharmacy teams.
The Early Career Network aims to empower early-career pharmacists by sharing opportunities, insights, and success stories from across 25 member countries.
Together, we’re building a stronger, more connected hospital pharmacy community: one story, one country, one pharmacist at a time.
Catch up with EAHP’s press releases
Find all EAHP relevant publication like the EAHP Surveys, annual reports and the history books.
The European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (EJHP) is the only official journal of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) and is committed to advancing the science, practice and profession of hospital pharmacy. As the premier communication platform for hospital pharmacists worldwide, EJHP is a major source for continuing education as well as updates on advances in the practice and standard of pharmaceutical care for patients.
When EAHP and Hospital pharmacists appear in the news.
EAHP publishes a monthly EU monitor with updates about the latest EAHP initiatives and information relevant for the hospital pharmacy profession.
The Sponsor Channel is designed to maximise visibility and engagement, allowing sponsors to connect with the hospital pharmacy community and partners in a dynamic and interactive environment. From product demonstrations to networking sessions, the Sponsor Channel offers a range of opportunities for sponsors to showcase their offerings and generate leads in the new EAHP Website.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Grainne Johnston, Jennifer Brown
The High Tech Scheme (HTS) in Ireland facilitates access to high cost drugs with proven cost benefit for patients. Combined national expenditure on adalimumab (Humira®) and etanercept (Enbrel®) exceeded €190 million in 2017. Biosimilar versions of both drugs are available, however largely not utilised. The most cost effective options for each drug were designated as the Best Value Biologic (BVB). Prescribing a BVB option offers the opportunity to save a considerable amount of money for the state.
The Mater Misericordiae University (MMUH) Integrated Medicines Optimisation Pharmacist (IMOP) provided education and removed barriers to initiate biosimilar prescribing of adalimumab and Enbrel in the MMUH.
The MMUH IMOP was delegated to assist with implementation of BVBs prescribing.
The MMUH IMOP generated Patient Information Leaflets in relation to BVB switching.
The IMOP reviewed out-patients currently prescribed Humira® or Enbrel®, and provided education and information on switching from the originator to the BVB
Prior to the IMOP intervention, no patients in the MMUH had been prescribed a BVB.
Following IMOP intervention, between June 26 and September 27, 2019:
• 291 Humira® or Enbrel® patients were scheduled to attend MMUH rheumatology, gastroenterology and dermatology clinics.
• Of these, 64% (n=185) were switched to a BVB. An additional 19 patients were newly commenced on a BVB.
• The IMOP educated and counselled 91% (n=92), 93% (n=53) and 48% (n=13) of patients switched to a BVB in rheumatology, gastroenterology and dermatology respectively.
The largest contributing factor identified for patients not being prescribed a BVB was, no review by the IMOP prior to medical review; 65% (n=35), 59% (n=10) and 86% (n=12) for rheumatology gastroenterology, and dermatology respectively.
BVB prescribing can save vital health funds for the state while maintaining patient care. The MMUH IMOP is now progressing to adopt BVB prescribing for a number of other biological medicines at significant savings for the MMUH and state.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Beatriz Zurita Alonso, Marta Martí Navarro, Monica Estelrich, Alejandro Ballestero Corominas, Anna Badell Giralt, Diana Patricia Vera Rodríguez, Milagros Ricse Salcedo, Roxana Rubio Vargas
The use of biosimilar drugs has been a breakthrough to improve the sustainability of the health system. Although since 2015 position papers have been published by some scientific societies, there is no clear consensus about the recommendation for a switch from the original drug to its biosimilar. The rate of biosimilar use in our country is one of the lowest in Europe.
The pharmacy service led the creation of a working group formed by rheumatologists, gastroenterologists, dermatologists and pharmacists to promote the use of biosimilar drugs in our hospital.
The working group wrote a consensus document in which it was jointly decided to start all new biological treatments with biosimilars. In addition, it was decided that the prescribers would determine which patients were candidates for switch to a biosimilar based on clinical criteria. If the drug is administered subcutaneously, the pharmacist is responsible to explain the reason for the change and the management of the new device to the patient. In case of disagreement, the original is kept and communicated to the prescribing physician. If the drug is administered intravenously, it is the physician who informs the patient about the change.
From May 2019 to September 2019, 17 switches were made: 4 infliximab (66.7%), 9 adalimumab (10.1%) and 4 rituximab (80.0%). This measure led to an economic saving of €111,106.96 per year. Twenty new treatments with biosimilars were started: 1 with etanercept, 2 with infliximab, and 17 with adalimumab. This supposed an economic saving of €141,826.36/year if we compare with the cost of the original drug. The rate of antiTNF biosimilars increased from 33% to 48% in 5 months. None of the patients refused the use of a biosimilar. By now, all treatments maintain their effectiveness without safety issues. This optimisation of treatments will allow the hospital to treat a greater number of patients and invest in innovative treatments.
These results indicate a great opportunity to offer biological treatment to a higher number of patients every year. Therefore, our objective is to achieve the switch of remaining patients as it could generate an additional saving of €630,072.28 per year.
Production and Compounding
Maria Rautamo, Niina Laihanen , Laura Lehtola
Erysipelas was the most commonly treated infectious disease at the home hospital unit in 2015. Previously the standard treatment was broad-spectrum antibiotic cefuroxime three times daily. The infectious disease specialist wanted to improve the antibiotic stewardship by shifting from cefuroxime to a continuous infusion of narrow spectrum benzylpenicillin. The aim of the initiative was also to improve patient care and reduce the number of treatment visits and thus overall treatment costs.
The production unit at the hospital pharmacy began preparing elastomeric pumps containing benzylpenicillin for Helsinki city home hospital unit for the treatment of outpatients suffering from erysipelas. A pilot study was conducted in November 2018 before further implementation of the elastomeric pumps.
A benzylpenicillin 10 million IU infusion solution was prepared and transferred to elastomeric pumps (Folfusor LV10, Baxter) in the production unit at the hospital pharmacy. The production method was developed by pharmacists at the hospital pharmacy in cooperation with Baxter and the formulation as well as stability information was received from Baxter. The pilot study was planned and executed in cooperation with Helsinki city home hospital unit. The batch size of prepared elastomeric pumps was 7 pumps a week and the overall pilot period consisted of 5 weeks. A total of 8 patients were treated during this period. The opinions of nurses and patients about the use of elastomeric pumps were investigated through a questionnaire. The impact on treatment costs were also evaluated.
Elastomeric pumps containing benzylpenicillin have been implemented as a standard treatment for erysipelas at the home hospital unit. Cost savings from the pilot period of 5 weeks were 125 nurse visits corresponding to approximately 100 hours of work as well as 200 km of driving for nurses to patients’ homes. The patients were very pleased with the elastomeric pumps and the fact that the pump had to be changed only once daily.
Production and delivery of elastomeric pumps containing benzylpenicillin has expanded to other home hospital units. The implementation of elastomeric pumps containing other active ingredients is under investigation.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Ana Soares, Armando Alcobia
Several clinical practice guidelines for LC recommend that multidisciplinary teams should be used to plan patients’ treatment. The evolution of thoracic oncology, namely the increasing knowledge of the diverse histologic and molecular phenotypes in non-small cell LC, has been driven to more complex treatment algorithms in recent years. This complexity increases the need for a multidisciplinary approach in therapeutic decision-making, which must be individualised and based on the best information available. The pharmacist’s inclusion in the multidisciplinary team is essential and was formerly proposed by the Pneumology Director to the Hospital Administration Board.
A hospital pharmacist is a permanent member of the lung cancer (LC) multidisciplinary team, which has met weekly since January 2016, to plan the management and treatment of LC patients in our hospital. The pharmacist brings updated information about the efficacy and safety of drug treatments, its cost-effectiveness and its availability. The pharmacist improves communication with the Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee.
The multidisciplinary team meets weekly to discuss the diagnosis and treatment options of LC patients, and includes a dedicated group of professionals: pulmonary oncologists, a thoracic surgeon, a radiation oncologist, a radiologist, a pathologist, a nuclear medicine specialist, a hospital pharmacist, a palliative care physician and an oncology nurse.
About 240 cases, corresponding to 200 patients were discussed per year. An average of 110 solicitations to the Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee were made. The multidisciplinary team grants a systematic approach to diagnosis and therapeutics, in compliance with evidence-based guidelines, improves communication and coordination between professionals and short waiting times for the patient.
The next step is to systematise real-world data collecting, from the patients treated, to better understanding the effectiveness of treatment options and the real impact of the multidisciplinary team in patient outcome, ideally, extending it onto a national level.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Gregorio Romero Candel, Maria Jesus Sanchez Cuenca , Nieves Cano Cuenca, Jose Marco del Rio , Julian Castillo Sanchez, Luna Carratala Herrera
The healthcare provided in the SSC is not fully integrated into the structures of the National Health System. These patients present a higher risk of adverse events related to pharmacotherapy, due to patient factors, with the treatment, the health system and the institutionalisation. The integral approach of the pharmaceutical benefit was necessary for improving the efficiency, safety, health and economic results due to the process using drugs and other health products in the SSC.
A pharmacotherapeutic benefit model has been started through the hospital pharmacy to the Socio-Sanitary Centres (SSC) of our health area. A pharmacotherapeutic management system based on the evaluation and selection of drugs and diet therapy items has been established.
An adherence protocol was made to the hospital pharmacy service, with the benefits that were to be provided to them. A guide was prepared with drugs and nutritional supplements that were available to them according to the Pharmacotherapeutic Guide of the Hospital Pharmacy Service, thus guaranteeing the most efficient products. A request model of both drugs and dietotherapics was developed for the SSC, assigning each centre one day per month to request the order and another day of dispensation. Finally, a calendar of distribution routes for each SSC was prepared.
For 12 months, eight SSC have been assigned to this programme, with 538 patients. Twelve shipments have been made to each centre, which have been provided with a total of 682,484 units of 223 active ingredients. The dispensation in diet therapy contained 28,045 units of 13 specialties. It has been possible to improve the pharmacotherapeutic coverage of these patients and reduce the expenditure on drugs in the area through centralised supply.
Development of follow-up programmes for patients with high health or economic impact drugs. Also, the adherence of new SSC, as well as increasing the dispensing portfolio, and achieving the integration of information systems, to have a total traceability from the patient to the different assistance levels.
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
MELINDA LITAO, HANY ELATROUSH , KHATHLEEN ESER, ARWA AFANA, AHMED BAIBRAHIM, JAYSON DE JUZMAN, BAYAN RAMBO, DERI PASCUAL, MA ENCARNACION DELOS ANGELES, MANAL SALLAM, MALIK KHUWAJA
STAT orders have always been a priority, however there are some areas which require some modification in the workflow to attain higher efficiency and to increase the percentage of STAT IV medicines, meeting the goal of being ready within 30 minutes.
A set of quality improvement interventions to increase the percentage of STAT IV medicines, meeting the goal of being ready within 30 minutes.
This was a pre-post study in a government hospital between January and September 2018. LEAN and FOCUS-PDCA models were implemented to design the process of improvement. A medication-tracking system (MedBoard) was used to collect the data to measure the number of STAT IV medicines ready within 30 minutes. Data was also collected from the number of phone calls and faxes received from the day procedure unit (DPU) and home health care unit (HHC).
The cumulative data showed an increase in the percentage of STAT IV medicines being ready by 7%, equivalent to 707 orders per month (90% vs 97%), a reduction in the number of phone calls by 87.5% (48 vs six calls per day) and fax by 100% from the DPU and HHC units, which means that implementing the set of interventions were associated with an increase in percentage of STAT IV medicines being ready within 30 minutes. Additionally, there was a significant decrease in the number of phone calls and faxes, which allowed pharmacists to focus more on STAT IV orders.
Since the hospital pharmacy receives numerous orders on a day-to-day basis, this will facilitate prioritisation during the entire process. This aligns with the hospital goal of attaining ‘zero harm’, and is therefore a good example of good practice in a hospital setting. The use of Medboard in tracking medications and monitoring performance can be applied to allow any healthcare setting to ensure that goals are reached, and performance is maintained at the highest level. Designing a list of eligible medications that can be ordered as STAT can be used as a guide to avoid the abuse of STAT orders and can help in prioritising order preparation in the STAT IV room.
Introductory Statements and Governance
Janne Jensen, Solvej Wandy Pedersen, Susanne Nørregaard, Karin Herkell, Anne Thestrup Nielsen, Anita Gorm Pedersen
A group of hospital pharmacists representing all hospital pharmacies in Denmark have in a previous study identified and slimmed a national portfolio of extemporaneous pharmaceutical preparations used by Danish hospitals from a total of 2,754 preparations down to approximately 750 preparations being considered of clinical importance. Without a common overview of the national portfolio there will be initiated production of duplicates and almost identical products resulting in a large and inconsistent portfolio.
The purpose of this GPI was to make the national portfolio of extemporaneous pharmaceutical preparations accessible to all hospital pharmacists in Denmark and to implement a common procedure to evaluate preparations before adding them to the national portfolio to avoid duplets and obsolete products.
A common national procedure for adding new preparations to the national portfolio was developed and implemented to avoid duplets and to ensure a uniform quality and appropriate risk assessment of the preparations.
A national database was developed and tested. Each hospital pharmacy entered their own extemporaneous pharmaceutical preparations in the database. Also, the extemporaneous pharmaceutical preparations manufactured by community pharmacies and used in the hospitals were entered in the database.
One hospital pharmacist in each of the five regions in Denmark was appointed as gatekeeper for the national portfolio. A template for an application form for new preparations was developed. When a physician requests a new preparation the application form will be completed by the clinical pharmacist. It is forwarded to the gatekeeper who will evaluate the preparation before approving it as a candidate for the national portfolio.
430 extemporaneous pharmaceutical preparations from the hospital pharmacies are entered and quality approved in the database. 255 extemporaneous pharmaceutical preparations manufactured by community pharmacies were entered in the database.
A national group of five gatekeepers was formed, and the workflow for both the group and the individual gatekeeper was described and implemented at all Danish hospital pharmacies.
The GPI provides an easy-accessible overview of the national portfolio of extemporaneous pharmaceutical preparations, releasing production time and resources at the manufacturing pharmacies.
Selection, Procurement and Distribution
Karina Bentzen
Introducing biosimilar medicines in the clinical setting may significantly reduce hospital medicines expenditure – but only if the biosimilar medicines are used. Lack of knowledge and insecurities about biosimilar medicines among healthcare professionals and patients must to be addressed to ensure implementation in the clinical setting.
To facilitate the introduction of biosimilar medicines in Denmark, a special Taskforce was appointed. The aim was to enhance knowledge of biosimilar medicines among healthcare professionals and prepare implementation of biosimilar medicines in the clinical setting.
A special “Taskforce for introduction of biosimilars” was appointed. The Taskforce consisted of physicians including clinical pharmacologists, pharmacists, drug tender specialists and staff from the “Council for the Use of Expensive Hospital Drugs”, who issue national treatment guidelines.
Planning the introduction of biosimilar infliximab in Denmark started more than a year prior to the granting of marketing authorization. During this time, the Taskforce arranged seminars and facilitated meetings with specialists from the clinical setting to provide knowledge of biosimilars, to discuss the introduction of biosimilar medicines and how to switch patients. Based on these discussions the “Council for the Use of Expensive Hospital Drugs” dictated the use of biosimilar medicines nationally.
The Taskforce also created educational materials for doctors, nurses and patients and a “Q & A” website.
Biosimilars were adopted into the Danish market after a very quick introduction. The market share of the biosimilars was 95% within 3-4 months.
The price reduction after introducing biosimilar medicines was approx. 60%, and the quick implementation of the drugs in the clinical setting has significantly reduced medical costs.
Total annual savings in Denmark: 22 mio € (infliximab) and 15 mio €* (etanercept. * Estimate based on the first 6 months).
More new biosimilar medicines are expected to be introduced into the Danish market in the near future. The Taskforce will continue their work to ensure similar successful implementations.
