EuroPharm Forum

All over Europe we see examples of pharmacy practice that clear the way for a promising future for pharmacies. These best practice lighthouses are extremely valuable when we look at the possibilities for developing pharmacy practice, and we can learn tremendously from these pioneers. Unfortunately, we also come across examples of worrying practice, eg where pharmacists are not involved in drug distribution and contact to patients, or where pharmacists are not in the driver seat of building future practices to safeguard patient safety and rational drug use, and “others” dictate the way we practice and how we offer our competency to society. Knowing these examples is valuable in a time where pharmacy practice is facing a change from pure drug distribution to advanced patient services.

At the last meeting in the Executive Committee of the EuroPharm Forum, we had a fruitful and inspiring discussion on the professional development in community pharmacy in Europe. It was interesting to find that the situation in Europe comprises a lot of trends or challenges that may not individually have a great impact on our profession; but when looking at the whole picture we get an understanding of the situation we as professionals are facing. Likewise, we have a lot of ways we can choose to go in order to meet these challenges and even though all these options are relevant, we as a profession must make a choice in order not to be caught between two stools.

No doubt that members of the Executive Committee were a bit wiser after the discussion. Therefore, we decided to share this visionary work with all of you whose hearts are dedicated to the development of professional pharmacy practice. We will present what we discovered and ask for your contribution when we hold our Training Seminar jointly with WHO, Europe in April. I hereby invite you to join us to complete the picture of the professional development in community pharmacy in Europe with the aim of securing our future.

You can learn more about the Training Seminar and the rest of the programme here.

Hope to see you in Budapest.

Best regards