January 13, 2015

Global Medicines Program Outreach to United Arab Emirates

The 7th Medication Safety Conference, held from November 7th – 9th 2014 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, featured a presentation and workshop presented by Global Medicines Program faculty. The Conference attracted some 1,000 delegates primarily from the Gulf region. Dr. Andy Stergachis spoke on improving medication safety in community pharmacy: evidence, challenges and opportunities. Additionally, he led a workshop on the art of patient counseling. In his presentation, Stergachis noted that community pharmacists play a key role in preventing adverse drug events and improving patient safety. Among the features of community pharmacy that contribute to improved medication safety are the use of technologies, the enhanced knowledge and skill base of pharmacists and other pharmacy staff, the conduct of medication reviews such as drug utilization reviews at the time of dispensing, and continuous quality improvement initiatives. The presentation included a review the evidence-base on medication safety issues and practices in community pharmacy settings and illustrated challenges and opportunities for improving medication safety in community pharmacy settings.