The European Health Management Association (EHMA) released a report on assessing national-level capacity to provide data on hospitals’ medication inventories and invite pharmacy managers and hospitals pharmacists to answer a survey: Adopting EMA’s New Mandate: Hospital Pharmacists’ and Pharmacy Managers Data Sharing Survey
On the report
Hospitals across the EU often face challenges due to outdated inventory management systems, frequently relying on manual data entry that is prone to errors and inefficiencies. Such limitations hinder real-time monitoring and reduce the ability to swiftly respond to demand surges. The research highlights key obstacles, including stock level inaccuracies, delayed responses to shortages, increased risk of medication errors, and difficulty tracking medicine expiry dates. Additionally, limited system integration and interoperability with broader healthcare networks exacerbate these issues, preventing the cohesive data flow necessary for effectively managing shortages.
The full report can be accessed HERE
The paper emphasises that addressing medicine shortages requires a collective effort and significant investment in digital infrastructure to modernise EU healthcare systems. Prioritising digitalisation will enhance health security, enabling hospitals to better track and manage supply chains and ultimately safeguarding patient care and public health across the region.
