Medication errors put a strain on the safety of drug therapy
20.07.2021 09:44
“Current hour on pharmacovigilance” is the name of the new webcast format that Vidal MMI Germany GmbH (Vidal MMI) launched on June 24th. With the new Covid-19 vaccines, pharmacovigilance has become increasingly of public interest. “Rare side effects” are currently making headlines, but adverse drug reactions (ADRs), which can lead to medication errors, among other things, have long been a topic among experts. For clinical pharmacy, widespread polymedication is the reason for too many medication errors. From the perspective of the marketing authorization holder, disregarded technical information puts a strain on the safety of innovative medicines. The question arises: “Is the regulation a breaking point or an opportunity for more security?”
Around 40 representatives of renowned approval holders as well as pharmaceutical and medical specialists took part in the webcast. The first query already showed that the majority of participants classified the regulation as “incorrect”. This is consistent with the results of studies on the topic. The Vidal MMI recently highlighted the importance of the prescription in the medication process in a white paper. “Systematic monitoring and evaluation of medication during prescription, dispensing and care can significantly improve drug therapy safety (AMTS),” says Prof. Dr. Carsten Culmsee from the Philips University of Marburg. And further: “This is best achieved through interprofessional collaboration between well-trained, advanced and advanced healthcare professionals and with suitable IT support.” VIGIE offers this IT support.
In a “brief look into the workshop” at Vidal MMI, Andreas Engleder, Head of New Digital Business & Digital Sales at Vidal MMI, presented the principle of the VIGIE application (derived from “vigilance”). Authorization holders can proactively design their risk management using a “black box evaluation” of real-life medication plans. Data-based identified serious interaction risks in prescribing practice can be countered in terms of risk-minimizing measures through machine-controlled, automated information playout.
As a long-time expert in pharmacovigilance, Dr. med. Renald Hennig on the increasing importance of real-life observations: “What is rare does not remain a secret” and “inform faster, more focused, more understandably.” Using the example of sinus vein thrombosis, he illustrated the importance of understandable communication for the perception of the safety of a drug. At the end of the webcast, a large majority of participants confirmed the relevance of data-based real-world analyzes in conjunction with real-time information management for risk management of medication prescriptions. A continuation of the new format for dialogue with medical and pharmaceutical communities on pharmacovigilance issues was advocated for 100%.