FIP selects "health destination pharmacy" and "responsible use of medicines campaign" as best global examples of professional association work

PRESS RELEASEBuenos Aires, 28 August 2016

— The winners of the first International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) awards for best Pharmacy Practice Improvement Programme and best Health Promotion Campaign were announced today at the 76th World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Work in Australia to develop the concept of pharmacies as health destinations in the community and of pharmacists as providers of total health solutions resulted in the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) taking home the 2016 Pharmacy Practice Improvement Programme Award. The Australian programme aims to improve business and financial planning, people and processes, marketing, layout and infrastructure. Participating pharmacies receive visits from a specially qualified PSA coach who provides practical advice and resources tailored to the pharmacy’s needs.

Pharmacies in the programme are enabled to provide a stronger focus on self-care and delivery of evidence-based professional services, and this has led to more clinical interventions and increased patient loyalty as well as average net profit increases of AUD 79,000 (EUR 52,000) per pharmacy in nine months. The programme is providing a solid platform for delivery of minor ailments and other services in the country, the PSA said.

“We are proud that this work has been celebrated at an international level. It shows that, as in many countries around the world, there are many opportunities for community pharmacies to play an enhanced role in patient care despite an increasingly uncertain financial future,” said PSA President Mr Joe Demarte.

Portugal’s pharmaceutical society (Ordem dos Farmacêuticos de Portugal) was the recipient of FIP’s 2016 Health Promotion Campaign Award in recognition of its awareness campaign “Medicines use — We are all responsible”, which involved the creation of easy-to-grasp messages and materials, including a dedicated website, Facebook page and video. Wide dissemination through national and social media resulted in a large number of people being reached. For example, there were over 28 million television viewers and 884,000 website hits. Portuguese pharmacies actively promoted the campaign.

Partnership with the Healthy Generation Project, which educates around 13,000 primary school students a year on healthy lifestyles and preventable diseases, ensured that a young audience was also reached. The long-running campaign has been endorsed by Portugal’s National Authority of Medicines and Health Products (INFARMED) as well as authorities and professional associations from Portuguese-speaking countries.

“The positive impact of this campaign has been identified in population awareness and change. The campaign sets a first step in promoting best practices and habits in the responsible use of medicines among the population. Recognition of this work by FIP among so many campaigns around the world is an honour,” said the society’s president Professor Ana Paula Martins.