A new global study from the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)’s Pediatric Formulations Focus Group is the first to report current and global paediatric oral extemporaneous compounding practices. Here, lead author and focus group chair Hala Fadda discusses the reasons for widespread off-label prescribing, the FIP study’s rationale and main findings, compounding challenges and considerations for... Read more The post Paediatric oral compounding: expert insights from a global study appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) will look for a pharmacy technician to provide ‘professional leadership and advice‘ as it considers how the profession could do more to support patient healthcare. The role is a one-year fellowship, co-hosted with NHS England, and is open to experienced pharmacy technicians from any sector. Chief pharmacy officer at the... Read more The post Pharmacy technician fellowship to be launched by GPhC and NHS England appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more

Repeated doses of paracetamol in older patients can lead to an increased risk of several severe complications, researchers have reported. An analysis of 20 years of GP data found an increased risk of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and renal complications associated with regular use of the painkiller. The researchers from the University of Nottingham said the findings... Read more The post Regular paracetamol use linked to severe complications in over-65s, researchers warn appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more

The oncology pharmacy specialism is on an upward trajectory, with significant strides being taken in pharmacist education, treatment innovation and expanding skill sets to support best practice. Speaking to Saša Janković, clinical and oncology pharmacist and ESOP president Professor Klaus Meier discusses the significant opportunities and challenges in the field and how collaboration is the... Read more The post Professor Klaus Meier on the collaborative future of oncology pharmacy appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more

A recent study identifying critical indicators related to medication adherence emphasises the complexity of the issue and the difficulty in predicting adherence to medications. The findings suggest a need for tailored, country-specific interventions and health policies to increase adherence, improve health outcomes and reduce economic burdens. Researchers identified and prioritised indicators related to medication adherence... Read more The post Research digest: Developing targeted medication adherence interventions to address challenges across Europe appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more

Women in Scotland were undertreated compared to men after a myocardial infarction, with the odds of receiving medicines that can prevent another myocardial infarction ‘stacked against you’ if you are female, researchers suggest. The first national study in Scotland to examine the difference in treatment and outcomes between the sexes found that women are less... Read more The post Scottish study confirms women receive unequal treatment after myocardial infarction appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more

A study looking at the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in hospitalised adults aged 75 and over has highlighted the need for multidisciplinary interventions to review chronic medications in these patients. The study found that the overall prevalence of PIMs was moderate but varied considerably between hospitals and also revealed a potential missed opportunity to... Read more The post Research digest: Reviewing potentially inappropriate medications in elderly hospitalised patients appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more

Pharmacists at a Danish hospital have developed an evidence-based quick guide for assessing renal risk medications in patients with impaired renal function who are at higher risk of suboptimal and potentially harmful medication treatment due to changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Through the quick guide’s recommendations, the researchers hope to optimise treatment; minimise adverse reactions... Read more The post Danish pharmacists develop quick guide for assessing common renal risk medications appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more

A new study advocates for standard nomenclature for drugs named with the co-drug format, including high-volume drugs such as co-codamol, co-amoxiclav and co-trimoxazole, to reduce medication errors. The researchers recommend a standardised naming system stating each component’s international nonproprietary name (INN) followed by dose information in the x + y format both on the box and in... Read more The post Research digest: Reducing errors associated with co-drug names of medicines appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more

Daily monitoring of the blood biomarker procalcitonin (PCT) can pinpoint when to safely stop antibiotics in adults hospitalised for suspected sepsis, reducing the duration of therapy compared with standard care, a large study finds. It was known that optimising duration of antibiotic therapy helped to reduce overtreatment, limit unwanted effects and preserve antibiotic effectiveness by... Read more The post Biomarker testing could significantly change the way sepsis is treated, study finds appeared first on Hospital Pharmacy Europe ..read more