The quality of medicines information resources needs to be improved, according to a new statement of policy from the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
Medicines info
This statement, ‘strategic development of medicines information for the benefit of patients and users of medicines’, is an update on the federation’s 2008 statement ‘medicines information for patients’. In particular, it highlights the importance of a strategic development of medicines information and describes the short-, medium- and long-term outcomes of the approach.
“Medicines information strategies are understood as the processes, legislation, guidelines and/or policies which facilitate how medicines information can be developed, implemented and disseminated to healthcare professionals and patients or consumers,” said Professor Parisa Aslani, president of FIP’s Health and Medicines Information Section.
As with the 2008 statement, FIP has included recommendations for governments, member organisations and pharmacists as well as to the pharmaceutical and health industries to provide regularly updated information on medicinal products. Additionally, it includes recommendations to educational institutes that courses to train healthcare professionals should include the use of medicines information databases.
“Medicines information can be inaccurate, overwhelming, biased or misunderstood, which presents potential health risks. It is imperative that national medicines policies acknowledge the need for quality medicines information, and that these policies recognise pharmacists as being key in informing patients and fellow healthcare professionals about medicines,” added Aslani.