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EAHP Releases Vendor-Neutral FHIR Guide to Advance Interoperability in Hospital Pharmacy Automation

The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) announces the public release of the FHIR Implementation Guide v1.0.0 developed by the EAHP Special Interest Group (SIG) on Interoperability in Hospital Pharmacy Automation.
 
The guide provides a common technical framework to help pharmacy automation systems from different vendors communicate through standardised, vendor-neutral messages. It marks an important step towards reducing custom point-to-point interfaces, simplifying automation projects and supporting safer, more efficient medication logistics in European hospitals.
 
Hospital pharmacies increasingly rely on automation technologies such as whole-pack robots, unit-dose robots and automated dispensing cabinets. However, these systems often operate in separate vendor environments, making integration complex, costly and difficult to scale. The EAHP SIG was created to address this challenge by developing practical interoperability specifications based on real hospital pharmacy workflows.
 
Launched in January 2025, the SIG brought together hospital pharmacists, interoperability specialists and 10 participating technology vendors: Alphatron, BD, Omnicell, Sinteco, JVM Europe, Deenova, GPI Group, Swisslog Healthcare, Stockart and Kiro Grifols. The initiative was conducted as a neutral, multi-stakeholder collaboration focused on improving patient safety, operational efficiency and sustainable healthcare delivery.
 
The SIG followed a distinctive “SOP-first, then FHIR” methodology. Hospital pharmacists first defined harmonised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for common automation workflows. These operational workflows were then translated into technical specifications using HL7 FHIR standards.
 
SIG 1.0 focused on automated stock replenishment workflows between pharmacy automation systems, including interactions between whole-pack robots, unit-dose robots and automated dispensing cabinets.
 
A live showcase demonstration at the 30th EAHP Congress in Barcelona connected 10 technology vendors and 14 automation devices, creating 56 interoperable system combinations without the need for custom interfaces. The demonstration validated the feasibility of standardised communication using realistic hospital pharmacy workflows and multi-vendor automation scenarios.

 

The newly released FHIR Implementation Guide provides hospitals, vendors and IT teams with a practical reference for implementing standards-based interoperability and reducing reliance on bespoke interfaces.
The release package includes:
  • FHIR Implementation Guide v1.0.
  • supporting documentation, including technical specifications and implementation guidance
  • Standard Operating Procedures describing the harmonised workflows
 
This release demonstrates that vendor-neutral interoperability in pharmacy automation is no longer only an ambition; it is becoming a reality. By starting with real hospital pharmacy workflows and translating them into FHIR-based specifications, the SIG has established a practical foundation that hospitals and vendors can use to drive implementation and innovation” stated Francine de Stoppelaar and Patrick Koch, SIG co-chairs. 
 
The guide is intended for hospital pharmacy teams planning automation projects, hospital IT departments responsible for integration architecture, pharmacy automation vendors, pharmacy information system providers, warehouse management system providers and interoperability specialists seeking to implement vendor-neutral medication logistics workflows.
 
The next phase of the EAHP interoperability initiative will build on this first release by extending the specifications to cover additional high-priority pharmacy automation workflows while supporting wider adoption, testing and implementation of vendor-neutral interoperability across hospital pharmacy practice.
 
EAHP invites hospital pharmacists, hospital IT leaders, automation vendors, pharmacy software providers and interoperability experts to download the release package, review the Implementation Guide: HERE & contact EAHP to contribute to the next phase of the initiative: HERE.
 
 
ENDS
For further information contact info@eahp.eu | 0032 2 669 2513