Faus Moliner participates in the Congress of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy “Digital transformation of hospital pharmacy (HF). Opportunities and challenges. Are we on the way?”

The 68th Congress of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy “Digital transformation of hospital pharmacy (FH). Opportunities and challenges. Are we on the way?” was organized by Boehringer Ingelheim and took place on October 5 in Bilbao.

It was a very productive debate with the participation of Emilio Monte-Boquet as moderator, José Manuel Martínez Sesmero (clinical vision), Rocio Montalban (health administration), Pedro Carrascal (patients) and, Lluís Alcover (regulatory framework).

During his intervention, Lluís Alcover spoke about the ethical and legal challenges in the implementation of clinical pharmacy in the hospital environment. The most interesting aspects of his participation were:

– There is currently a global climate favorable to digitalization and the introduction of new technologies. There is also a realization that transformational changes are essential to take advantage of the potential associated with the massive processing of health data. The HF is no stranger to this context.

– Any transformative project requires, in addition to a good regulatory framework and impetus from all stakeholders, money (allocated budget). The arrival of European funds (Next Generation) is an unbeatable opportunity.

– Telepharmacy is compatible with (and even promotes) ethical pharmaceutical values. Ethics must modulate the process, not become an insurmountable obstacle. The “digital divide”, the risk of dehumanization and lack of personalization, patient autonomy (telepharmacy should not be imposed), and equity (no one should be left behind) are burning ethical issues that should not be forgotten.

– From a regulatory point of view, it would be advisable to take advantage of the reform of RDL 5/2023 to consolidate models of non-presential dispensing by the Autonomous Regions that offer legal certainty to all the agents in the sector.

– Mass data processing will represent a paradigm shift. It has the potential to improve and add value to practically any result or metric imaginable. Making this process compatible with the defense of patients’ fundamental rights (especially in terms of privacy) will be essential.

According to Lluís Alcover, we are on the road to the digital transformation of hospital pharmacy, although there is still a long way to go.