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A new article published in BMC Health Services Research provides insight into the views of patients on drug shortages. The researchers carried out a retrospective, cross sectional mixed method study in six different hospitals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Serbia and Poland focusing on patients’ awareness and perspectives.
Feedback from the 607 patients that were surveyed over 27 months showed that although drug shortages led to serious medical consequences, patients did not perceive shortages as a problem. One possible interpretation is that good hospital management practices by healthcare professionals helped to mitigate the perceived impact of shortages. Patients that participated in the study were asked questions about their knowledge on drug shortages, the drug shortages experienced during their hospitalisation and information preferences on drug shortages. Overall, the study highlighted the importance of good communication especially between patients and healthcare professionals in whom our patients have the greatest trust.
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In mid-July, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) released a new handbook to help pharmacists across the globe maximise their disease prevention role through vaccination. The handbook details the many ways in which pharmacists can contribute to improving vaccination coverage, such as supply chain and stock management, storage, record keeping, facilitation of appointments and administration of vaccines, but it also gives emphasis to their important educational and advisory role.
Updates from the European Medicines Agency
In July, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued communications on the EU recommendations for the 2021–2022 seasonal influenza vaccine composition, Zynteglo, the possible link to very rare cases of myocarditis and pericarditis with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and the use of COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen in people with a history of capillary leak syndrome.
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Footnotes
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.