National Pharmacy Commission

The National Pharmacy Commission is another step forward for the Purchase Centre. It is a multidisciplinary body formed by representatives from various HLA hospitals.

Its objective is to drive forward a distinct change in the efficient use of medicines, via rational selections based on scientific evidence, thus guaranteeing better results in the patient care process. Its mission is to balance innovation and sustainability in the use of pharmaceutical products.

The commission is working on various projects and objectives:

The implementation of a pharmatherapeutic guide system which guarantees the selection and evaluation of medicines, based on criteria of evidence, security and efficiency.
The creation and update of pharmatherapeutic protocols based on scientific evidence.
The standardisation of the areas of activity, organisational aspects and care activities of HLA’s pharmacy services.
The promotion of the safer use of medicines in the hospital environment: prescription, preparation, distribution and administration.
Analysis of the use of pharmatherapeutic resources.
The update of regulations.
The coordination of training actions in matters of medicines.
A response to hospitals’ questions about pharmatherapy.

Results:

Various protocols have been created or updated: the control of narcotics, the use of anti-coagulants and the rules for the realisation of clinical tests, among others. This year, the Commission’s activity has been focused to a large extent on aspects related to security in the different aspects of the use of medicines.
Aimed at nurses: training on the safe creation of cytostatic medicines, the creation of a protocol on the handling of biohazardous drugs and the creation of a document which details good practices in the administration of medicines.
Medical staff level: the creation of alerts in the system for the electronic prescription of medicines in paediatrics, enabling alerts to be sent in the event of overdoses caused by error.
Focused on the patient: the design and distribution of a leaflet that emphasises the questions that patients must ask about their medicines when consulting with their doctor.