Presentation of the National Index of Access to Hospital Medicines 2023's report by Ana Margarida Advinha
On November 17th, the results of the National Index of Access to Hospital Medicines 2023 were presented, based on a study coordinated by the CHRC researcher and University of Évora, Ana Margarida Advinha, along with Sofia de Oliveira Martins, from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.
The presentation took place in the 15th Forum of Medicines, at Fundação Oriente, where the panel of this presentation included Hélder Mota-Filipe, President of the Order of Pharmacists, Carlos Lima Alves, Vice-President of INFARMED, I.P.; Rosário Trindade, Member of the Directors Board of AstraZeneca and Luís Miguel Gouveia, the President of Directors Board of the Hospital Fernando Fonseca. The presentation made by Ana Margarida Advinha was also moderated by the RTP journalist, Paula Rebelo.
The objectives of this study are to determine the level of access to hospital medicine, through the analysis of management models, mechanisms for creating evidence and the measurement of the associated results. In addition to these objectives, there’s the identification of barriers to equitable access, management and dispensing of medication in hospital institutions of the portuguese National Health Service (SNS) and the possibility of creating joint and concerted actions focused on continuing to improve the access to the Hospital Medicines. In this way and with these objectives defined, the study intends to monitor the National Index of Access to Medicines at a national level, in order to verify whether the strategies in place are having the the expected return and bringing some positive data.
During the presentation of the results, Ana Margarida Advinha indicates that monitoring the results of new therapies “is only carried out in 33% of the cases, although in relation to medicines where the financing is based on risk-sharing mechanisms, 72% (n =26) of SNS hospitals already are monitoring these results. Another data from the study shows that in 67% of institutions there are proximity medication dispensing programs, and in 50% of the cases, the medication is delivered via community pharmacy. Around 39% of respondents also have pharmaceutical consultations available and the administrative burden continues to be identified as a major barrier in the process of acquiring new medicines”, highlighting that “94% of hospital institutions continue to identify stockouts as a big problem".
Access to the full report: https://apah.pt/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Relatorio_Index_Meds_2023.pdf