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.
Patient Safety and Quality Assurance
Christina Theil Schnor and Saranya Loganathan.
In 2018, hospitals in Region Zealand (RZ), Denmark, transitioned to the electronic health record (EHR) system, EPIC. Following this, hospital pharmacists faced repeated medication order challenges causing adverse events such as inappropriate medication orders, dispensing and administration errors, and insufficient workflow coordination. These issues resulted in complex, time-consuming workflows impacting quality and patient safety. Additionally, collaboration between corporate IT and clinical staff was challenged by a lack of understanding of practical issues. To address this, pharmacists of RZ established the Clinical Pharmaceutical Service IT Team (CPS IT Team) to build specialized knowledge of the EHR medication module, aiming to assure quality, optimize workflows, strengthen interdisciplinary coordination, and support safer and more efficient clinical use.
CPS IT Team standardized workflows, enhanced coordination of medication order tasks, and created a forum to effectively utilize professional knowledge and networks across areas.
To address diverse Clinical Pharmacy challenges, CPS IT Team became the bridge between internal organization (RZ Hospital Pharmacy and corporate IT) and external partners (EPIC and The Capital Region of Denmark (CRD)). For this reason, CPS IT Team was established with one team manager and two units: Internal and External unit. CPS IT Team continuously adapts to evolving Clinical Pharmacy needs.
The establishment of CPS IT Team has driven significant internal optimization and standardized workflows. Acting as a coordinating unit, it optimizes medication processes from ordering to dispensing and administration. Dialogue with IT has been strengthened, enabling more efficient, targeted communication across professional groups.
Collaboration with EPIC and CRD has enhanced quality assurance and optimized workflows. CPS IT Team efforts have helped prevent medication-related adverse events, improve workflows, and optimize medication processes. Interdisciplinary collaboration and professional consultation networks between regional clinics, hospital pharmacies, IT, and EPIC have been notably strengthened. These efforts have increased patient safety and fostered a safer, more coherent workflow in EPIC.
Fusion of RZ and CRD into Region Eastern Denmark will change CPS IT Team’s working conditions, opening new opportunities such as an expanded collegial network and broader range of tasks and needs. Systematic data use will support Hospital Pharmacy’s work, improving efficiency and quality in daily operations.
Selection, Procurement and Distribution
Line Jarvig MSc Pharm.
Christine Dinsen-Andersen MSc Pharm.
Aysegül Sekeroglu MSc Pharm.
The national Health Technology Assessment (HTA) institute in Denmark issued its first recommendation on medicines for the treatment of Fabry disease based on four therapies considered clinically equivalent. Only one therapy was recommended due to cost. This recommendation initiated a national implementation effort, led by pharmaceutical staff, to support a correct and efficient medication switch to the recommended therapy.
A pharmacist coordinated the implementation of the medication switch, in collaboration with the hospital with the national responsible for the treatment of Fabry disease, the hospital pharmacies, and the regional drug committee.
Coordination of the implementation strategy was carried out through virtual meetings and email correspondence. The implementation was based on a robust data foundation and was highly prioritized by hospital management. Representatives from the hospital pharmacies in the patient’s home region were included in the information flow to ensure optimal pharmaceutical inventory management at local hospitals. Furthermore, the pharmaceutical supplier was thoroughly informed regarding the timeline and expected drug consumption.
This case demonstrates that even complex medication switches can be successfully implemented when there is clear managerial support, detailed coordination, and strong engagement from all involved parties. It also highlights that there is no standard model for implementation, and that adaptation to local conditions is essential.
Drivers identified as contributing to the complexity of the implementation:
• Patients’ usual treatment was managed at regional hospitals, while the switch was conducted by the hospital with the specialized treatment responsibility.
• Detailed planning of treatment and pre-switch paraclinical examinations was required.
• The majority of patients had to switch treatment, including a change from oral to intravenous therapy.
• Early planning was necessary to meet supplier requirements for consumption estimates.
• Estimating drug use was complex due to the planned full switch over an estimated period.
• High drug prices required close monitoring of drug inventories to minimalize medication waste.
The switch is being monitored to ensure continued adherence. Experiences gained form this case will be applied to future switches, with planning focused on early identification of complexity drivers and strategies to manage them.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Pons Maria, A; Fernández Huertas, L; Samblas Ruiz, M; Hernandez Silveira, L; Barceló Sansó, F; Juez Santamaria, C; Luque Mesa, JA
This case describes a 23-year-old patient admitted with acute kidney injury (AKIN III) of unknown origin. Due to poor clinical progression, along with symptoms of scalp itching and redness, and the presence of calcium oxalate crystals in urine, glyoxylic acid poisoning was suspected. Glyoxylic acid is a component found in certain hair straightening products. The potential use of fomepizole as an antidote was considered, prompting a pharmaceutical intervention.
A literature review was conducted on the use of fomepizole in poisonings caused by glyoxylic acid and ethylene glycol, considering that glyoxylic acid is an intermediate metabolite in the toxic pathway of ethylene glycol.
The mechanism of action of fomepizole was analyzed as a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, assessing its ability to block the conversion of glyoxylic acid into toxic metabolites such as oxalic acid, which is responsible for renal damage. To evaluate the feasibility of using the antidote, the National Institute of Toxicology was consulted. After reviewing the case, and given that more than 72 hours had passed since exposure to the toxin, its administration was ruled out. Supportive treatment already initiated was continued, including fluid therapy, bicarbonate, thiamine, and pyridoxine. The patient showed progressive improvement in renal function without requiring dialysis.
The multidisciplinary approach enabled the identification of the toxic etiology and helped prevent major complications. The case highlighted the key role of the hospital pharmacist in the evaluation of antidotes.
Similar poisoning scenarios—both uncommon and typical—will be reviewed to establish well-defined clinical pathways that allow for rapid and coordinated action in case antidotes such as fomepizole need to be used. This review will help improve the preparedness of both pharmacy and clinical teams for toxicological situations not currently covered by existing protocols.
Introductory Statements and Governance
The role of the NMC is to provide guidance about new medicines for use in public hospitals, and recommendations from the NMC can lead to changes in medical treatments. Before changes can be implemented, a variety of preparatory processes are necessary and relevant stakeholders, e.g. drug and therapeutic committees, hospital pharmacies, clinicians, and the national supply organization have to be involved.
Knowledge sharing and coordination among stakeholders are crucial to ensure efficient and nationally aligned implementation.
To undertake these tasks and support the NMC in their work, there was a need for a national group with expertise in implementation of changes of medicines in hospitals.
The National Implementation Group was established in September 2019. The main purpose of the Group is to discuss, assess and ensure implementation of recommendations and treatment guidelines from the National Medicines Council (NMC) across regions, hence achieving national consensus on aligned medical treatment.
We formed the National Implementation Group with representatives from all stakeholders for swift and coordinated execution of changes of medicines. Each region designated participants directly involved in the implementation. To ensure effective knowledge sharing and coordination, the Group holds a monthly one-hour virtual meeting one week after NMC recommendations are published.
The monthly Group meetings ensure that the national implementation process takes approximately 14 days and the recommendations from the NMC are regularly discussed, assessed, and implemented efficiently and aligned at national level.
In 2022, the Group was evaluated through focus group interviews, highlighting quality and value. Results show that the Group aligns implementation nationally, offers expertise, saves regional resources, and fosters valued knowledge sharing concerning implementation of changes of medicine and adherence to recommendations.
The Group has now been successfully integrated as part of implementation at national level, emphasizing the importance of shared knowledge for efficient implementation of changes of medicines at national scale.
In future, the Group will increase its focus on identifying differences in treatments based on enhanced utilization of health data.
The Group provides the basis for knowledge sharing and can easily be transferred to other healthcare settings, both nationally and internationally.
Introductory Statements and Governance
Mikala Vasehus Holck, Jette Østergaard Rathe
The role of the National Medicines Council (NMC) is to provide guidance about new medicines for use in the public hospital sector.
Recommendations from the NMC must be implemented at hospitals. Implementation of changes of medicines requires preparation and collaboration and involves numerous stakeholders, e.g. drug and therapeutic committees, hospital pharmacies, clinicians, and the national supply organization (NSO) to public hospitals. Knowledge sharing is crucial to ensure efficient implementation.
We needed a workflow focusing on knowledge sharing at national level, and thus we introduced the structured implementation workflow in September 2019.
We have established a structured implementation workflow focusing on knowledge sharing. The workflow ensures rapid and efficient implementation of changes of medicines, and a more aligned treatment at national level.
To ensure knowledge sharing through the workflow, we developed:
– Implementation memo: Summarizes NMC recommendations and treatment guidelines, with information about current and upcoming tendering procedures and prices. The memo is shared with the stakeholders.
– Implementation group: The group is a mix of people with a direct connection to the implementation workflow. The group ensures that implementation of the recommendations from the NMC is regularly discussed and assessed.
– Implementation site: An intranet for the NSO and hospital pharmacies to share information and material related to the implementation of changes of medicines.
– A system to ensure that essential stakeholders receive the same information.
The structured implementation workflow has been a success and is now an integrated part of implementation. Evaluation shows that the workflow with knowledge sharing between relevant stakeholders is essential for effective implementation of changes of medicines, and it identifies discrepancies at national level.
The structured workflow is an integral part of managing the national implementation, and the workflow and outcomes will continue to undergo evaluation.
The workflow provides the basis for knowledge sharing and can easily be transferred to other healthcare settings.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Xando Díaz-Villamarín, Ana Pozo-Agundo, Paloma García-Navas, Celia Castaño-Amores, Alba Antunez-Rodriguez, Cristina Lucía Dávila-Fajardo
Pharmacogenetics (PGx) has the potential to predict patient´s drug response. Many genetic polymorphisms have been associated with variable drug response. This has been demonstrated with the highest level of evidence in fact many of them have been included in clinical dosing guidelines such as those from the Dutch Pharmacogenomics Working Group (DPWG) and Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC). Actually, many drug labels include the recommendation about genotyping specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) prior to drug prescription.
We have implemented pharmacogenetic tests in our hospital for a total of nine drugs.
Our hospital provides a PGx test service according to the following workflow. Physicians order the PGx test to the Pharmacy Unit, we take a saliva sample with sterile-cotton tipped swabs and send them to the Genomic Unit at Genyo. There, we extract the DNA and genotype the variants of interest. Genetic results are reported back to the Pharmacy Unit within 48-72 hours. After genotype-phenotype-recommendation translation according to the CPIC and DPWG dosing guidelines, we upload the dosing recommendation as a PGx report to the electronic patient´s medical history.
Since 2012, 2414 patients have benefited from our PGx test service for at least one drug-gene interaction. These tests have been requested by seven hospital departments with regard to a total of nine different drugs. We have reported 932 PGx dosing recommendations: Clopidogrel with 2013 genotyped patients and 845 dosing recommendations; Azathioprine with 208 and 21; Capecitabine: 48 and 1; 5-FU: 5 patients without recommendations; Tamoxifen: 117 and 48; Trastuzumab: 34 and 15; Irinotecan: 4 and 2; Simvastatin/Atorvastatin: 2 genotyped patients and no recommendations.
Since the first PGx test in 2012, we have been able to implement PGx tests in daily clinical routine in our hospital affecting 9 drugs. 2414 patients have benefited from this service and we are working on the implementation of new polymorphisms affecting drug response to expand our services.
