Medication errors remain one of the most persistent and preventable threats to patient safety worldwide.
This has prompted the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) to release a new Statement of Policy calling for “greater recognition of pharmacists’ leadership in patient safety”.
Released earlier this week (1 September), the statement builds on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Medication Without Harm initiative and its Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–30.
In a statement released this week, FIP says the “updated policy highlights pharmacists’ essential role in preventing medication errors, reducing avoidable harm and improving the safe use of medicines across every stage of the patient’s healthcare journey.”
“It also replaces FIP’s 2020 policy statement on patient safety and reflects new evidence, technological advances and evolving models of care,” says FIP.
An often overlooked role
According to Dr Marianne Ivey, co-chair of the policy committee, pharmacists are frequently sidelined despite their training.
“Pharmacists are uniquely trained to identify risks, optimise medicines use and intervene before harm occurs. Yet too often their expertise is underused within national patient safety strategies,” she says.
“This policy calls for pharmacists to be recognised as leaders in creating safer healthcare systems.”
The statement also makes it clear that “medication safety extends beyond preventing dispensing errors”.
“Pharmacists contribute throughout the medication-use process by conducting medicines reconciliation, supporting high-risk medicines management, reducing polypharmacy, strengthening pharmacovigilance, improving transitions of care and educating patients to use medicines safely,” says FIP.
Technology is a tool, not a substituteÂ
The statement also addresses the rise of digital health tools, including electronic prescribing, clinical decision support systems and artificial intelligence, noting these can strengthen safety but also introduce new risks if implemented poorly.
FIP is firm that technology should support, not replace, the professional judgement of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
Associate Professor Ramesh Walpola, co-chair of the policy committee, says governments and healthcare systems need to back up the statement.
“To strengthen medication safety worldwide, the statement calls on governments and healthcare systems to establish non-punitive reporting systems that encourage learning from medication errors, invest in interoperable digital health infrastructure, expand pharmacists’ scope of practice and ensure sustainable funding for pharmacist-led medication safety services.”
The statement sets out recommendations for governments, health system funders, pharmacy organisations, pharmacists, education providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
It also outlines FIP’s commitment to supporting its organisations in membership through advocacy, education, global collaboration and alignment with WHO patient safety priorities, helping to keep medication safety at the forefront of health policy and pharmacy practice worldwide.
