International hospital pharmacy section’s work on Basel statements continues

Abstract

With the global consensus statements on the future of hospital pharmacy practice reaching their four-year anniversary, the hospital pharmacy section of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) is considering some adjustments. Marianne F. Ivey, section vice president representing the Americas, said the officers have talked about splitting the consensus statements into two groups: necessary and optional. Ivey said such a bifurcation could result, for example, in the statements about formulary issues being put into the necessary category and the statement about collaborative prescribing—a “sophisticated” practice—into the optional category. Lee C. Vermeulen, recently elected to a four-year term as section secretary after serving two terms as assistant secretary, said the group may simplify some of the statements. The 75 statements, known as the Basel statements, resulted from the 2008 Global Conference on the Future of Hospital Pharmacy, held in Basel, Switzerland. This conference was conducted by the section. There are 16 overarching statements on essential concepts and 59 statements on the topics of procurement, influences on prescribing, preparation and delivery, administration, monitoring of medication practice, and human resources and training.