The Significance of Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Primary Care Emphasised By Pharmacists in Europe
The EU (European Union) Pharmaceutical group had their yearly symposium taking place in Berlin. This was headed as: 'New Opportunities in Primary Care: Maximising Pharmacist Contributions through Interdisciplinary Collaboration'.
This event taking place in Berlin offered views from various points of view regarding the way in which the role of pharmacists has improved and changed in the primary care environments.
The pharmacists stressed on the need for further collaboration within the primary care set up and the emergence of opportunities for pharmacists to further increase the levels of contribution that they give to the safety of their patients and the quality of the overall care given to patients.
This conference brought forth illustrations of intelligent pharmacy practises in primary care within Europe, and also in pharmacist's prescriptions, the management of medicines, the regulated collaboration with other physicians and pharmacy practises based on the electronic medication records. These contributions were provided by pharmacist from countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.
At this symposium, new opportunities for pharmacist to report negative reactions to drugs were also made possible by the new European Incentive on pharmacovigilance.
This conference had over one hundred and twenty people representing various pharmacy related professions within Europe. The symposium was opened by the parliamentary state secretary at the federal ministry of health, Thomas Ilka. Thomas Ilka spoke regarding the new opportunities for pharmacists made possible by, in addition to other factors, the new European directive concerning Falsified Medication and Phamacovigilence.
The PGEU secretary general and the moderator if this symposium, Mr John Chave has stated that he believes it is of the utmost importance for the sustainability of health systems and the improvement of health among European citizens that primary care should change to further solve growing problems such as negative reactions to drugs and lack of medication adherence.
Mr chave further went on to say that the symposium has indicated that pharmacy practise within Europe is well on the way to providing answers to these problems with the use of new practices. Specifically the symposium showed that more regulated collaboration among health experts and pharmacist will further aid in the improvement of patient care and will lead to more economic health systems.