The Needs and Barriers Within the Supply Chain Actors—Hospital Pharmacy Needs

Abstract

In this chapter, the roles and daily practice of a Hospital Pharmacist are revisited, as well as the needs related with medicines shortages are addressed. The outcomes and the prevalence of shortages are also discussed, in a way to better contribute for enhancing the European pharmacy practice. Medicine shortages may result from single or multiple causes, from problems at the production level, to issues on the supply chains that prevent medicines from reaching points of care. Regardless the causes, shortages potentially increase costs for health systems, including higher prices of substitute medicines, costs related to treatment of adverse reactions, medication errors, and also the consequences of delayed therapy. But there are also the invisible costs for healthcare system that include time spent on solving the shortages, changes in management procedures, communication and the additional risks to patients caused by shortages. The conclusions point for in-depth collaboration with the health professionals, the pharmaceutical supply chain stakeholders, and the effective usage of databases on medicine shortages.