Top 10 takeaways from FIP2023

Disclaimer: This article is not sponsored by, nor representative of FIP - this is based on my opinion. Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Conference in Brisbane, Australia. As a policymaker and pharmacist, it was interesting to attend FIP. As compared to other pharmacy conferences, FIP’s program focused on pharmacy strategy and direction into the future. There are two reasons why you should read this till the end: You need to understand the direction of the pharmacy profession because it ultimately affects your future. You need to know where the opportunities and challenges lie to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared! The conference theme was: Pharmacists Strengthen Healthcare Systems And after one hour of mixing and mingling with colleagues, feeling the collegial vibes and the sense of camaraderie, you can see why “pharmacists strengthen healthcare systems.” Because despite the challenges we all face, which are somewhat assimilated throughout the globe, we are an innovative industry. We are strong because, out of every challenge, we have created an opportunity to grow and stand the test of time, as evident through the COVID-19 pandemic. It is our collective action throughout the globe that will continue to strengthen healthcare systems as we maximize our medication expertise to reduce inappropriate medication use and enhance the quality use of medicines. Without further ado, in case you missed out, here is an overview of the Top 10 messages from this conference: (Note: These are based on my opinion and understanding of the sessions I attended and are therefore non-exhaustive. They also do not represent any organizations I’m affiliated with.) 1. Digital transformation We must embrace digital health interventions to enable us to transform the paradigm of how we deliver medication management services. Digital tools can: help minimize errors at transitions of care extend our services to remote populations, e.g. telepharmacy help us meet rising demands on our workforce help us deliver patient-centric care enable delivery of holistic end-to-end patient care experiences that maximize pharmacist scope. “We must look at where pharmacists can have CLINICAL IMPACT on health systems and help reduce the burden on strained healthcare services through leveraging digital technologies to deliver ‘empowered patient care.”- Dr Vin Gupta, MD MPA, Amazon, USA But “Is the workforce ready to handle the digital transformation?” - Peter Guthrie, Strategic Policy & Advocacy, PSA If we aren’t, can we risk being left behind? And what about meeting your patient’s demands and expectations in this digitally-led world? We must look at digital tools as enablers rather than ‘replacers’ of our existence. A pharmacist who doesn’t know how to use digital tools and AI will be replaced by one who does. 2. Precision-driven care, digital therapeutics and the Metaverse The future of healthcare (or, should I say, the ‘Now’) is precision-driven. Think of everything that can deliver the Right Drug at the Right Dose at the Right time, like: telehealth and telepharmacy digital therapeutics such as automatic dose delivery inhaler aids, e.g. Propeller Health or DosemeRx for intuitive drug-dosing pharmacogenomics delivering pharmacist services through the metaverse as a way to reach remote populations—take a look at the first metaverse pharmacy here. As the burden of chronic conditions rises, coupled with workforce shortages with no solutions in sight, harnessing digital technologies while ensuring equitable access can significantly enhance healthcare outcomes and drive us towards a more sustainable future. Let’s face it - medication prescribing is the #1 health intervention. This means we need more pharmacists, but we don’t have them. Solution > digital technologies can extend our services and help us drive precision care so more patients get the right medicines and become less of a burden on healthcare systems. 3. Move from medication-supply experiences to patient-centric experiences I think that speaks for itself—a statement I have heard repeatedly over the last 10 years but with little change arising. We must place value on our ‘expertise’ and medication management services, rather than the value being attached purely to the ‘medicine provision’. Until this happens, medicines will forever be commodities rather than ‘medical interventions that require pharmacist expertise.’ #1 and #2 above can help us become more patient-centric while reducing the burden on our workforce. 4. Environmental and planetary health Every pharmacy organization has a responsibility towards sustainability, which affects human life. Climate change and disasters impact life and affect the delivery of healthcare. As responsible healthcare practitioners, we have an ethical obligation to protect the environment by reducing medicinal waste, which accelerates climate change. This includes the waste created from our dispensing processes and packaging waste. 5. Disaster and pandemic response, and humanitarian pharmacy With the impact of climate change and pandemics, we must adapt and adopt practices to facilitate continued services in difficult climate conditions and disasters. Every organization must establish backup systems and processes, and train staff to respond effectively to emergency situations. By taking proactive steps to prepare for potential disruptions, we can help mitigate the impact of these events and ensure that critical services remain available to those who need them most. Pharmacists play a crucial role in humanitarian crises, providing essential care under challenging circumstances. The lengths some of them go through to ensure the continuity of medication supplies and access to healthcare are unparalleled. I’m in awe of the work these pharmacists undertake to ensure the delivery of pharmaceutical care in war-torn countries, risking their own lives in the process. I salute you! 6. Workforce sustainability We must become more efficient. More pharmacists could and should manage patients as the burden of chronic conditions rises. However, this is challenging with the current global workforce challenges. We must better understand technology and use it to facilitate quality, accessible healthcare and create process efficiencies that equally reduce the strain on our staff. 7. Antimicrobial stewardship response (AMR) AMR presents a global urgency (surprise!). The projected death toll from AMR by 2050 surpasses that of cancer. Data play a pivotal role in the battle against AMR, alongside policy commitments for effective solutions. By harnessing the power of data intelligence, we can make informed decisions, implement targeted interventions, and forge a united global response to safeguard the efficacy of antimicrobial agents and protect public health. 8. Pharmacists are the solution to the rising burden of chronic conditions The biggest driver of ill health and mortality is poor patient engagement. This is what costs healthcare systems. The three leading causes of rising healthcare costs are high BP, diabetes and high cholesterol. We must create pharmacist-led triage experiences that promote patient engagement to reduce the burden of medication non-adherence in these conditions. Digital health is the way forward, combined with an expanding pharmacist’s scope of practice. 9. Unique career pathways maximize scope of practice I was impressed by the variety of non-traditional pathways pharmacists have taken to deliver outstanding patient care while aligning with their career aspirations. These roles represent novel and effective ways of utilizing our skills in today’s dynamic healthcare world and expanding our scope, as per point number 8. By championing novel roles, pharmacists can continue to advance the profession and enhance patient care. Pharmacists could and should be present wherever medications are being used. We need to think of how we can embed ourselves in every setting, utilizing everything in a patient’s environment to optimize their health outcomes. Once we think this way, the opportunities in our profession are expansive. 10. Is our education fit for purpose? I’ll leave you with some thought-provoking questions from the last session I attended on Educators’ Day. Is our current education model fit for the purpose of keeping up with the changing landscape of healthcare and patient demand? Competencies are becoming more diverse between different areas of practice - is one set of competencies applicable to all pharmacists enough? Are healthcare markets absorbing ‘generalist’ pharmacists or ‘specialized’ pharmacists? Does the ‘generalist’ pharmacist scope adequately address patient healthcare needs? It’s time to take a hard look at our educational models going forward. And with that, I conclude my average ‘coverage’ of FIP2023. No doubt you’ll have come across my prolific posts in the last week! I hope that you found my somewhat lengthy summary of the main learnings from FIP2023 helpful. As always, let me know your thoughts!

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Top 10 takeaways from FIP2023

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Katrina Azer

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