The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) has published a new policy statement highlighting the important role of hospital pharmacists in meeting the pan-European challenge of an ageing society.

Unanimously approved by delegates of EAHP's 34 member country associations, the statement identifies five main areas for policy attention:

• Increasing the uptake of medication reconciliation and review by hospital pharmacists as a key response to polypharmacy;

• Additional training for all relevant healthcare professionals in respect of the particular care needs of older patients;

• Further embedding of inter-sector communication and multi-disciplinary working as critical approaches to meeting the health system challenges of an ageing society;

• Regulatory innovation to improve the participation of older patients in clinical trials;

• Improvement in best practice sharing and adoption across Europe to ensure the internal health system challenge of an ageing health workforce is successfully met.

Commenting on the statement, EAHP President Joan Peppard remarked:

“In the first instance, Europe's ageing society marks a great achievement by our health and social systems, that so many people are living longer and healthier lives. However we recognise the challenges that are emerging, and one of these is multimorbidity with the connected issue of polypharmacy.

It really …