Global standards of practice used by hospital pharmacists around the world have been revised by FIP's Hospital Pharmacy Section (HPS).

The standards, known as the "Basel Statements” and first published by the HPS in 2009, cover six main areas of hospital pharmacy:

• Procurement
• Influences on prescribing
• Preparation and delivery of medicines
• Medicines administration
• Monitoring medication
• Human resources and training.

The revision reflects the rapid development of hospital pharmacy practice and the most current evidence, in order to continue to encourage practice development around the globe.

“There are several totally new statements, many of them dealing with advances in information technology and the importance of pharmacists using electronic health records to improve the quality of medicines use by our patients. And significant changes have been made to reflect FIP’s definition of 'responsible use of medicines' adopted in 2012, and the joint FIP-World Health Organization Guidelines on Good Pharmacy Practice adopted since the initial Basel Statements were published,” said HPS secretary Lee Vermeulen.

The wording of the Basel Statements has also been simplified to make them clearer and more easily applicable from country to country.

The revision process involved a consensus exercise that collated the opinions and experience of hundreds of hospital pharmacists from dozens of countries. The result is an authoritative resource that reflects ideal practices for hospital pharmacy worldwide.

“We believe that the statements provide a key roadmap for hospital pharmacy practice. One of the key strengths of the Basel Statements is the breadth of input that has been obtained, making the statements truly global and truly reflective of the ideal standards,” Mr Vermeulen said.

Since the Basel Statements were first introduced, a number of countries and regions have used them — both individual statements and entire areas within the full set — to enhance hospital pharmacy. Many countries have used the statements as an evaluative benchmark to identify areas for practice improvement, and as a measure of successful practice development. 

“As with the original statements, the overarching goal is to maximise the value that hospital pharmacists bring to the well-being of patients,” Mr Vermeulen said.

There are now 65 Basel Statements.

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