EAHP represents over 29,000 hospital pharmacists across 36 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 professionals.
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 of Germany 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.
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.
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.
Sponsor Channel
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
This service emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the collection of hospital medication posed patients, many of whom were immunocompromised, at higher risk for COVID-19 and other infections, as they had to enter the hospital facilities. Over time, it was observed that this service was not only beneficial during periods of high SARS-CoV-2 transmission. RutiCar enabled medication pickup from the patient’s own private vehicle, avoiding necessity for parking as well as entering the hospital.
In June 2021, the Pharmacy Department of Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital(HUGTP) established an outpatient medication dispensing point located outside the hospital premises, “RutiCar”. This initiative facilitated patients in collecting their chronic treatments without entering the hospital, enabling direct access from their vehicles.
A new preparation and dispensing circuit was established. The patients specify their preferred date for medication pickup by telephone, e-mail or by a form after scanning a QR code. Pharmacy technicians undertake the responsibility of scheduling the appointment and preparing the medications one day prior to the designated dispensing day. The prepared medications are transported early in the morning to a temporary medication storage facility situated within the hospital’s parking area. Finally, the patient arrives at RutiCar at their scheduled appointment time and, without the need to exit their vehicle, collects their medication.
This service is aimed at patients with chronic treatments who have been on their medication for an extended period (>6 months) and show adherence. Pharmacists play an important role in this context, by ensuring that patients meet the criteria to initiate RutiCar service, reviewing treatments to validate their continuation and overseeing medication pickups to enhance patient adherence.
This service has led to an improvement in the medication dispensing process, assisting 10.46%(282) of the monthly average of patients who collect hospital medication(2695) and extending the hours for medication pickup, facilitating the work-life balance for patients and enhancing access to patients from remote areas.
In the future, improvements can be considered, such as implementing reminders for patients who have not yet scheduled their appointments and are projected to run out of medication soon, or automated appointment systems.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Vanessa Gomes, Jonathan De Gregori, Greta Dusabe, Hélène Feyeux, Cyril Boronad
MiS is a telephone service that provides free, reliable information about medicines to all patients and their caregivers. Requests are handled by experienced hospital pharmacists. It is important to know how patients behave after calling MiS in order to assess the benefits of this service on the proper use of medicines.
The aim of this study was to assess patients’ behaviour regarding their medication after calling the MiS.
After prior agreement, patients were called back 7 days later to answer a specific survey including six questions: Was the medication changed after the call? Did the patient follow the advice of the MiS pharmacist? Did the patient consult a doctor? or another source of information? Did the patient feel that their health had improved? What are the benefits of this service?
Between 2024/03/05 and 2024/03/18, 20 callers completed the survey (65%). Most questions concerned drug interactions (48%), followed by side effects (22%), drug stability (7%), administrative information (7%), indications/contraindications (7%), product availability (3,%), proper use (3%) and dosage (3%). Thanks to the advice of MiS pharmacists, 47% of callers started taking their medication: half of these were prescribed by their doctor and the other half self-administered. Around a third of treatments were continued without change, while 6% were modified. Finally, 12% of treatments were discontinued because of side effects. After calling MiS, 15% of patients consulted a doctor and 15% consulted other sources of information (neighbours, health professionals, etc.). More than half of the patients felt that their health had improved after calling MiS. Lastly, 70% of patients described MiS as safe, 40% as accessible, 35% as available and 30% as a time-saver.
The demand for MiS shows that patients are looking for more information about their treatments, even if they have already consulted a healthcare professional. The number of treatments prescribed by the doctor that were only initiated after the call also illustrates the benefits of the MiS service. It is an additional service that can reassure callers and contribute to the proper use of medicines by conveying a positive image of treatments and information suited to callers’ knowledge.
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
Saúl Herrera Carranza, Carlos Sanz Sánchez, Sira Sanz Márquez, José Francisco Valverde Cánovas, Leonor Moreno Núñez, Ana Vegas Serrano, Rafael Hervás Gómez, Oriol Martín Segarra, Juan Emilio Losa García, Montserrat Pérez Encinas
Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy(SEFH) proposed 13 indicators(bibliography:Gutiérrez-Urbón JM, Gil-Navarro MV, Moreno-Ramos F, Núñez-Núñez M, Paño-Pardo JR, Periáñez-Párraga L. Indicators of the hospital use of antimicrobial agents based on consumption. Farm Hosp. 2019;43(3):94-100) which could help to improve the quality of antimicrobial use.
Indicators are related directly(dir): higher value-better practices; indirectly(ind):lower value-better practices; or heterogeneity: homogeneous percentages(%)-better practices.
The creation of a tool for calculating new indicators of antimicrobial agents based on consumption using Defined Daily Dose per 100 hospital stays(DDD/100s).
We built an Excel tool to input required data in order to calculate the indicators with the formulas defined for their automated estimation:
-Overall antibacterial consumption(ind)
-Overall consumption of antifungals(ind)
-Consumption of carbapenemics(ind)
-Consumption of fluoroquinolones(ind)
-Ratio macrolides-p/fluoroquinolones-p(dir)
-Ratio metronidazole-p/piperacillin-tazobactam+carbapenemics(dir)
-Fosfomycin consumption(dir)
-Sequential therapy(dir)
-Ratio anti-SRSA/anti-MRSA agents(dir)
-Ratio amoxicillin/amoxicillin-clavulanic acid(dir)
-Ratio amoxicillin-clavulanic acid/piperacillin-tazobactam(dir)
-Diversification of anti-pseudomonas beta-lactam(heterogeneity): %anti-pseudomonal carbapenemics, %piperacillin-tazobactam and %anti-pseudomonal cephalosporins+aztreonam.
— Ratio fluconazole/equinocandins (dir)
DDD/100s for the years 2018-2022 were calculated in order to see the annual evolution. Required data: antibiotic (ATC Group: J01) and antifungal (ATC Group: J02) consumption by drug and route of administration (oral (o), parenteral (p) and others). Calculation of DDD/100s according to grammes consumed (obtained with Hospital Pharmacy software) and ATC/DDD-Index (World Health Organization). To visually analyse results, graphs were included.
We realised that our hospital improved by decreasing consumption of antibacterial, antifungal, carbapenemics and fluoroquinolones; and so, an early parenteral-oral switch.
However, the other ratio-based indicators are stable or worsening yearly: macrolides-p/fluoroquinolones-p, metronidazole-p/piperacillin-tazobactam+carbapenemics, fosfomycin consumption, anti-SRSA/anti-MRSA agents, amoxicillin/amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid/piperacillin-tazobactam, fluconazole/equinocandins and diversification of anti-pseudomonas beta-lactam.
These indicators provide possible improvement actions to enhance the use of antimicrobial agents. Consumption of fosfomycin or amoxicillin/amoxicillin-clavulanic acid ratio should be cautiously analysed due to outpatient (or in emergencies) management of uncomplicated infections. As improvement actions in our hospital, increase the use of metronidazole-p in anaerobic infections or cloxacillin and cefazolin de-escalation can be promoted as soon as sensitivity is confirmed by antibiogram-test. Diversify antibiotic pressure on pseudomonas, trying to reduce piperacillin-tazobactam by prescribing ceftazidime or cefepime, and reserving aztreonam for beta-lactams allergics. Similarly, decrease piperacillin-tazobactam use by prescribing amoxicillin-clavulanic acid if anti-pseudomonal coverage is not necessary.
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
Lene Juhl Biltsted, Louise Stilling Rasmussen
In Denmark, patients with schizophrenia receive free antipsychotic medication for the initial two years post-diagnosis. Post this period, patients transition to the primary sector and assume the medication costs. Historically, the clinic dispensed larger medication quantities, offering short-term relief but not addressing the issue. This approach risks medication waste. The new workflows empower healthcare professionals to help patients establish stable financial arrangements with local pharmacies, curbing fluctuating medication expenses. This enhances patient safety by reducing at-home medication stockpiles. Financial barriers often undermine patient compliance. Healthcare professionals strive to aid patients, curbing relapses and readmissions, through rational, sustainable medication management that minimises resource wastage.
Training improved healthcare professional’s understanding of the Danish medication subsidy system and options for deferment in the primary sector.
The healthcare professionals’ new knowledge has provided the foundation for the development of optimised workflows in the treatment process, ensuring a more sustainable medication management during the transition to the primary sector. The project establishes the framework for reducing the risk of medication waste upon the patient’s completion of treatment at the clinic.
It also created a favourable setting for healthcare providers to collaborate with patients, enhancing adherence.
Healthcare professionals received training on deferment arrangements, subsidies, and compliance, with supervision from clinical pharmacists.
Patient cases were analysed to determine factors for future guidelines.
Guidelines were formulated to aid healthcare professionals during the patients’ transition to the primary sector.
A tool (calculator) was created for assessing the patients’ economic choices regarding medication expenses.
Healthcare professionals gained confidence in guiding patients on stable medication expenses.
Enhanced rational and sustainable medication use by incorporating the seven rights.
New guidelines now allow an appropriate quality assurance strategy to ensure sustainability and adherence.
Tool to assess medication costs which improves the patients adherence in the sector transition.
Lowered risk of over/under treatment and improper storage.
Diminished treatment failure risk by predicting patient medication expenses during the primary sector transition
In the next 6 months, the clinic will trial the established guidelines and routines with patients concluding their 2-year treatment.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
NURIA FERNANDEZ PIÑEIRO, CRISTINA GONZALEZ PEREZ, LIDIA YBAÑEZ GARCIA, NATALIA SANCHEZ-OCAÑA MARTÍN, JOSE MANUEL MARTINEZ SESMERO
In our area all care for PrEP users was centralised in a specialised centre. Here, a multidisciplinary team made up of doctors, nurses and pharmacists integrated in a patient-centred care model. PrEP users are a potentially vulnerable population. Health education and motivation are provided in the PhC consultations to raise awareness about the use of medication and adherence to treatment, which are key to avoiding HIV infection. The use of sex-related drugs is a growing health problem in this population and has been associated with increased HIV transmission risk.
Development and implementation of a monographic pharmaceutical care (PhC) consultation for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users.
On 20 January 2020, the PhC consultation was launched in a monographic STI care centre linked to a tertiary hospital.
– On the same day as the first medical appointment, the user attends a PhC appointment. In this unit the user receives the necessary information to properly take the medication. Possible interactions are reviewed, not only with medications, but also with natural medicine, sports supplements and drugs. All doubts are resolved and the medication is dispensed.
– Every 3 months medical follow-up is carried out and, in the PhC consultation, where not only possible adverse effects are reviewed, but also adherence and related problems are specially monitored. To increase the quality of care, active communication between all health personnel was ensured.
Until 30 September 2022, 3,460 initial visits and 13,349 follow-up visits have been made (411 of them through telepharmacy during the lockdown as a result of the global pandemic by SARS-CoV-2). From the users, 98.98% were men who have sex with men (MSM), 0.80% transgender women, 0.04% transgender men and 0.18% were women. 70.3% used sex-related drugs (Chemsex), with the most used substances being Popper (37.1%), mephedrone (28.2%) and gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) (24.6%).
In our experience, the role of hospital pharmacists as a reference health personnel for HIV-PrEP users has become clear, not only as an expert in medication. Given the prevalence of drug use in this population makes the health education that we hospital pharmacists can provide especially important.
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
Viviana Andrea Pinzon Garcia, Paula Camila Murcia Jaramillo, Reinaldo Grueso Angulo
In 2018, concerned with the opioid crisis in USA, the pharmacy and therapeutic committee began to work on safer opioid use; an initial diagnosis showed an increase in the use of in hospital opioids and a lack of protocol for the disposal of the resultant remnants. Standard single-dose syringes (SSDS) were devised to avoid remnants, subsequently noticing that the strategies to be used should involve the whole medication order cycle (MOC). This gave rise to the OSP, which involves physician’s pain management and prescribing practices, pharmacy preparing and dispensing process, nurse’s custody, administration and disposing protocols.
An Opioid Stewardship Programme (OSP) led by a multidisciplinary team: scientific direction, pharmacy and pain clinic, was implemented to ensure adequate and safe opioid prescription, dispensation, administration and disposing practices in San Ignacio University Hospital (HUSI), a tertiary level hospital in Bogota, Colombia.
Institutional pain practice guidelines were assessed, unifying the titration doses with SSDS and developing disposal protocols in which care staff is constantly being trained ever since. To trace the impact of the OSP, indicators for IV opioid consumption, SSDS prescription, naloxone use and guideline adherence were created.
Main obstacles on SSDS: <10% prescribing adherence, availability failures and dose expiration. In response, the whole ampoule prescription was narrowed to only pain specialists to face SSDS expiration costs and avoid shortage.
SSDS prescription proportion above 70% by July 2022, decreased milligram morphine equivalent (MME) consumption per hospital discharge (January 2019: 37, January 2020: 47, January 2021 (COVID 2nd surge): 39, January 2022: 25, July 2022 (COVID 3rd surge):16) and monthly costs decrease in 1997 USD, between 2019 and 2022.
An opioid shortage during the COVID surges, deepened in Colombia due to a hydromorphone recall, was avoided.
The OSP initiative could be replied in healthcare institutions considering our achievements. To keep working in a safer opioid MOC, our OSP has formulated new strategies with an active role of pharmacists, pain specialists and nurses oriented to: remnants disposal protocol, prescribing policies, medication error detection and healthcare staff and patient education.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
CLARA NOTARIO DONGIL, ALEJANDRO MARCOS DE LA TORRE, MARÍA CARMEN CONDE GARCÍA, MARÍA MAR ALAÑÓN PARDO, BEATRIZ PROY VEGA, NATALIA ANDRÉS NAVARRO
Most of the cultures performed in outpatients were not reviewed or were reviewed too late. An early detection for an adequate control of multidrug-resistant bacteria and the setting of a targeted antibiotic treatment, in case of being necessary, was the aim of this project. Hence basis for the implementation of an ASP is laid down, giving also advice to medical staff regarding appropriate antibiotic treatments.
Multiresistant bacteria containment is a public health priority. Antibiotic Stewardship Programs (ASPs) can help to enhance patient outcomes by improving antibiotic prescribing. ASPs are common in hospitals, but are not usually available in primary care.
1- A circuit between microbiology laboratory staff, preventive medicine and pharmacy service was done. The first two collaborated by presenting data from lab results.
2- Cultures of multidrug-resistant species of outpatients were included. Results were interpreted by a hospital pharmacist on a daily basis.
3- A circuit of telephone calls between pharmacy and primary care was settled in order to communicate high epidemiological impact species detected. Pharmacist collaborates by giving advice regarding the right drug, right dose and right time, only when antibiotic treatment was necessary. Reports were registered on the medical history.
4- Variables collected in database were: age, sex, institutionalized, antibiotics received, kidney disease, culture type, specie.
During five months, 52 patients were included (52% male, 48% female). Mean age: 68 years. 11% institutionalized patients. 31% presented kidney disease.
Urine culture (58%),skin culture (13%), bronchial/sputum culture (12%), stool culture (12%), , and other cultures (5%) were analysed. Multidrug-resistant species (spp) were: Klebsiella spp (34%); Pseudomonas spp (8%); Mycobacterium spp (6%); other spp (52%).
17 pharmacist interventions were carried out, all of them related to appropriated treatment. 2 patients were hospitalized in order to receive parenteral antibiotic.
Optimizing antibiotics use is important to effectively treat infections. Identifying species that generate therapeutic difficulties is essential. Pharmacist advice could reduce treatment failures applying efforts to improve antibiotic use, being link of union between hospital and primary care. Other activities such as providing training to medical staff or spread results regarding to the use of antibiotics will be critical for ASP development.
Selection, Procurement and Distribution
Immunoglobulins are currently used both for the indications included in the SmPC and for other indications with different degrees of evidence and priority. Nonspecific immunoglobulins are blood products obtained by fractionation of plasma. During the Covid 19 pandemic there has been a decrease in donations and therefore a decrease in reserves in blood banks, which has generated a general shortage of immunoglobulins.
Creation of a multidisciplinary advisory commission for the evaluation and optimization of the use of immunoglobulins in the current situation of shortage.
A multidisciplinary commission was created made up of a pharmacist, a hematologist, and other specialists involved in the immunoglobulin prescription circuit. Chronic treatments with nonspecific immunoglobulins active between April and June 2021 were evaluated, an immunoglobulin use guide was developed prioritizing those indications with grade of evidence Ia, Ib and IIa and urgency of type A or B(solid evidence and absence of alternatives with equal efficacy)for both chronic and acute treatments. In addition, an emergency stock was established for acute pathology
After the intervention, the following were included in the guide for the use of immunoglobulins as priority indications: primary immunodeficiencies, Kawasaki disease (Ia, A), Guillain Barré (Ib, B), Multifocal Motor Neuropathy(Ib, A), Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) )(Ia, A), Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura(ITP)(Ia, A),Secondary immunodeficiencies(Ib, A)with severe or recurrent infections, ineffective antimicrobial treatment, proven failure of specific antibodies and / or serum IgG level <4 gr / l. During the quarter prior to the creation of the commission, 31 patients were treated with immunoglobulins, 77.42% of whom were chronic; the most common indication was secondary immunodeficiency, 41.93%. Total immunoglobulin expenditure in this quarter (from April to June 2021) was 3,075g(mean: 99.2g / patient), with a cost of €15,925.98. While in the following trimester (post intervention)11 patients were treated, 72.73% being chronic, the most common indication was secondary immunodeficiency 36.36%. Total immunoglobulin expenditure in this quarter(from July to September 2021)was 660g (mean: 60g/patient), at a cost of €42,664.05
Carry out periodic control of active chronic treatments and assessment of the initiation of treatment according to the guidelines established by the Commission
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Natalia Toledo Noda, Víctor Quesada Marqués, Laura Majuelos Aicart, Milagros Varela González, Maria Victoria Morales León
Despite advances in the control of HIV infection, the number of people who become infected annually in the island (European ultra-periphery region) remains high. The implementation of a PrEP dispensing program would prevent many of these infections since it is known that there is a high number of undiagnosed infected people. In addition, the implementation would allow legally access to this therapy, being an effective, cheap and easily to use therapy.
Development and implementation of a medication dispensing program for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in adults.
In 2016, the European Medicines Agency authorized the indication of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 245mg + emtricitabine 200mg as a preventive treatment. In December 2019 the Ministry of Health incorporated it into the National Health System for people who met certain minimum criteria. The hospital was formed since then with the aim of establishing a prescription and dispensing circuit.
The following circuit was established:
1. The primary care physician will screen candidates who want to apply to the program and request an initial study. If the candidate meets the criteria, he will consult the infectious diseases unit.
2. The unit value the entry into the program and carry out clinical follow-up. The request for outpatient dispensing is generated for the Pharmacy Service.
3. The Pharmacy Service informs about how to take the medication and its adverse effects. It is dispensed for a maximum period of 3 months. If any problem related to the drug or lack of adherence is detected, it will be communicated to the doctor.
4. A clinical and analytical follow-up is carried out every 3 months to assess the correct use of the medication as well as the appearance of safety problems (renal function and bone involvement). The continuity in the program is evaluated annually.
Since then, the Pharmacy Service has dispensed medication to 20 users and only one discontinued due to lack of adherence.
Achieve a reduction in the incidence of HIV, which for years has remained stable. Contribute to generate data that support the efficacy and safety of these therapies in real life. Avoid the illegal sale of these drugs.
