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
Inês Carmo, Ana Parola, Inês Oliveira, Margarida Carvalho, Marta Carvalho, Ana Mirco.
On April 28, 2025, a nationwide blackout affected Portugal, disrupting the national power grid and severely compromising the cold chain of vaccines in primary health care facilities, along with all forms of mobile communication. Given this event, the response by the Pharmaceutical Department (PD) of a Local Health Unit responsible for delivering vaccines to 38 Primary Health Care Facilities (PHCF) required evaluation due to major clinical, financial, and operational risks.
Vaccines exposed to any temperature excursion during storage were identified and placed under quarantine, preferably using an alternative cold storage unit with an independent power source, when available, and distinctly labeled. Through a standardized notification form, each incident was promptly reported within 48 to 72 hours to the cold chain supervisor and PS. During the first week after the blackout, PS reviewed each report to determine the vaccine’s stability and possible return to the supply chain.
Hospital pharmacists collected key data such as temperature variations, time outside safe range, and affected vaccine batches. They consulted reliable sources (databases and Summary of Product Characteristics) and sought information from the supplier laboratory. Upon analyzing all data, PHCF received precise recommendations on suitability for ongoing use.
On April 28, 2025, 40 cold chain incidents were notified, affecting 12,442 vaccines units. After thorough analysis, 12,202 units were authorizes for use, reducing clinical and economic impact. Only 240 units were discarded, resulting in a loss of 6,018.50 € out of a total stock valued at 284 544, 60 €. Joint action by Pharmacist and PHCF assured continuity of patient care and vaccine safety, preventing disruptions to the National Vaccination Program.
The nationwide blackout exposed vulnerabilities in the PHCF cold chain, highlighting the need for more refrigerators, continuous electronic monitoring, backup generators, refrigerated vehicles, and standardized protocols between PS and PHCF.
Selection, Procurement and Distribution
Anne Flou Kristensen
Alice Østergaard Deleuran
When introducing new storage facilities, a risk-based approach according to EU GMP/EudraLex – Volume 4, must be applied during implementation and qualification, to ensure supply continuity, product quality and patient safety.
The existing cold storage facility was worn out and difficult to keep in compliance. The aim of the project was thus to implement a new compliant cold facility to ensure redundance and robustness and to accommodate current work processes related to cold storage.
The implementation was divided into different phases; design and dimensioning, and construction and qualification, where a risk-based approach was applied in each phase, securing the correct measures were considered at the right time. Further, qualification principles presented in EU GMP, Annex 15 were adapted, and a full qualification cycle including SAT, DQ, IQ, OQ and PQ was conducted.
The design and dimensioning of the facilities resulted in two separate cold storage rooms, supplied from two separate redundant refrigerating units. This secures robustness in case of system failure from one of the units, and in case of facility maintenance.
The risk-based qualification plan included the current workflows regarding cooling of large-volume products. A comprehensive DQ and IQ was conducted to secure correct design and installation, and OQ and PQ included different testcases encompassing extensive temperature mapping, hot and cold spot detection, max load-test, crash and recovery testing and daily operations to test if the storage facilities were compliant with correct storage conditions and current workflows.
The cold storage facilities were implemented according to the plan after a successful execution of the qualification. Qualification results identified check points to use in temperature monitoring and defining work-process parameters, e.g. door-opening time related to loading, to mitigate the risks of exceeding correct storing conditions. Further, in case of a deviation related to temperature or established workflows, the extensive results can be applied to evaluate and ensure the quality of stored items. The project demonstrates the importance of adapting quality by design approach, to enhance robustness and consistence when implementing new cold storage facilities.
Selection, Procurement and Distribution
S.Hajjaj,I.Bennani, S.Alaoui, A.cherif Chefchaouni ,S.El Deeb,S. Boufaress, Y.Hafidi, S.ElMerrakchi,F. Bandadi, B.Moukafih,A.El Kartouti
Hospital pharmacies frequently face drug shortages due to unpredictable demand, long lead times, and budget constraints. Traditional reorder point policies are insufficient for handling stochastic consumption, and shortages can impact patient care. Applying predictive and probabilistic control methods allows for optimized decision-making, reduces unnecessary orders, and ensures higher service levels.
A predictive inventory management framework based on CC-MPC is being developed and assessed through simulation to optimize hospital pharmacy stock levels under uncertainty .
The approach combines:
1. Data collection: Weekly consumption data of strategic drugs over a defined period, including average delivery times and historical stockout events.
2. Probabilistic modeling: A normal distribution is used to characterize demand uncertainty, with mean (μ) and standard deviation (σ) based on historical consumption data.
3. CC-MPC model parameterization: includes Safety stock thresholds, probabilistic stockout risk levels, constraints (storage,order, operational and economical) adapted to the hospital’s context.
4. Prospective simulation: generates optimized ordering plans over 6–12 month horizons, using rolling-horizon updates.
5. Practical integration: daily recalculation of optimal orders based on updated consumption data.
Based on previous simulation studies, the CC-MPC approach has the potential to reduce the number of orders by 40% and average stock levels by approximately 10%, while preventing stockouts over extended periods. Estimated annual budget savings ranged from 1 000 € to over 27 000 €, highlighting the possible benefits of implementing this predictive framework in hospital pharmacies.
Once the method tested and data collected,the next step is to transform the method into a software application, which can be integrated into pharmacy operations. This program is designed for practical hospital use. It aims to optimize stock management under real-world conditions.
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Hilde Omestad, Maria Grønkjær Abrahamsen, Fatima Afif Mouaanaki, Charlotte Mosbæk Dybdahl, Anne Wulff Petersen, Emil Dalsgaard Züricho, Philip Hojrizi, Charlotte Arp Sørensen
The sustainability strategy of the Central Denmark Region include less consumption and less waste. Our Pharmacy delivers an increasing amount of high-cost homecare medications, requiring refrigerator storage. In case of an accidental temperature exposure, patients may ask whether their medicine can be used or not. There may be a delay during transport or a breakdown of their refrigerator at home. During these medicines’ shelf-lives, most products can be kept at room temperature for days, weeks or months. When SmPC and the insert package leaflet says that the product should not be returned to the refrigerator, high-cost medicines sometimes are wasted, only because of this warning, instead of giving them a shorter shelf-life. When we hesitate to return packages to the refrigerator, time can elapse while waiting for the manufacturer’s or pharmacist’s answers to the patient’s questions after storage incidents.
The Hospital Pharmacy categorized 47 Blood Coagulation Factors and Monoclonal Antibody Products requiring storage at 2-8 °C if Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) had any warning of returning a product to the refrigerator or not, after an unwanted time at room temperature
We asked manufacturers if a return of their product to the refrigerator would cause any harm. Should their product be disposed of because it has been put back into a refrigerator after being left out? Our findings were documented in a local guideline and in the Danish national information database (SAID).
Drug Information Pharmacists discussed several cases of real-world handling situations to be more confident to reduce medicine wastage.
Being aware of the reasons for these warnings, reduced medicine wastage in certain cases of incidental storage. The pharmacists have been given tools for pharmaceutical professional assessments in cases of temperature challenges.
Spread the good news. Improve communication between manufacturer and pharmacy, because manufacturer can’t be responsible for storage different from their SmPC. Inspire manufacturers to improve their storage warnings in SmPC
Selection, Procurement and Distribution
Ismail Bennani, Amine Cheikh, Hafid Mefetah, Mustapha Bouatia
The strict control of medicines cold chain is linked to a triple risk for a hospital: a risk for the patient through the efficiency and safety of the drug, a financial risk, and a regulatory risk.
Our study aimed to map the process of management of medicines requiring a strict cold chain control at a referral pediatric hospital and to identify the critical points associated to this process in order to realize a risk analysis using the FMEA method
The method used is FMEA for a priori inductive risk analysis which aims to identify potential system failures. These failures are analyzed to determine their criticality by establishing an index for each failure that will be scored and calculated using the formula: Criticality index = frequency × severity × detectability.
The rating of each criterion is based on predetermined rating tables.
Process Mapping: The mapping of the process allowed identify 7 major actors: the supplier, the general store, the logistics platform for product reception, the transportation, the logistics department of hospital, the pharmacy and the patient.
Identification of the critical points: All failures modes that were ranked between 201 and 504 on criticality index are considered as main critical points:
Problem of breakdown of electricity and its management: 504
Respect of the cold chain at the level of the care services until administration: 448
Temperature indicators at the level of care services: 384
Conditions of transportation: 315
Temperature monitoring at pharmacy level: means and management: 245
Logistics agents transport time management: 210
Implementation of improvement actions: Corrective and preventive improvement measures have been defined and implemented, such as: setting up alternatives to power outages, periodic temperature assessments at all critical levels, and integration of remote control and monitoring computer devices.
The continuous improvement of the medicines’ cold chain remains an important topic for the institutions in view of the overall risks associated with the quality of these medicines, therefore to the medical treatment of the patient.
Selection, Procurement and Distribution
Claudia Wunder, Szabolcs Tobi
To introduce returns to supply chain is a critical process in distribution of medicinal products, as non-compliance with storage conditions or inappropriate handling can impair the quality and hence endangers patient safety. In terms of a continous improvement process we considered a standardization and a supervision of this field as mandatory.
A standard form for handling of returns was developed. It was designed to ensure that important process steps are done and documented. Furthermore it should offer the opportunity to learn about the reasons why users return medicinal goods to the pharmacy. After one year of usage (2015) the forms were evaluated with the objective of validation and improving the process. According to PDCA-cycle measures were deduced based on the results.
The standard form guides the process and assures
– that medicinal products are stored under quarantine until approval by pharmacist,
– that storage conditions are proved for the time the goods were out of pharmacy,
– that the quality of each returned medicinal product is checked carefully and
– that the reason for return is documented.
The standard forms were collected and evaluated concerning
– number of returns,
– reasons for returns,
– value of returns.
The standard form proved to be a useful tool to gain information about gaps in the process of distribution. The evaluation demonstrated that users had problems with ordering due to article changes and unclear names in the warehouse management system. It showed the need for education of trainees and pointed out lacks of communication between pharmacy and wards. The analysis also presented the money-saving potential of re-utilization of returns. What was achieved is an improvement of distribution process by
– implementing an intensive and standardized education for trainees,
– optimizing main data in warehouse management system,
– sensitizing the responsible persons and
– getting in closer communication with nurses on wards.
Besides that the economic benefit of the process could be proved.
At the end of 2016 the impact of the measures shall be reviewed. Benchmarks shall be deduced to audit the functionality of the process in future.
