He Medication prospectthat sheet that once deployed is a challenge to fold again in its original form and that contains small information relevant to make a safe use of the drugs, It could disappear within at least five years. This has been proposed by the European Commission. But on its way by the European Council and Parliament until it is approved, there are already many voices that have risen against this proposal for regulations. This Wednesday, following the wake of European organizations, it has been doctors, pharmacists, patients, pensioners and Spanish consumers who have shown their rejection of the elimination of prospects on the role of medicines sold in pharmacies because they consider that ” Replacing them with digital formats would not only generate access barriers to information, but would put the health of millions of people at risk “, especially the older ones, which are the more polymedicated and less digitized.
In a press conference held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the General Council of Pharmaceutical Colleges (CGCOF) in Madrid, this organization together with representatives of the Collegiate Medical Organization (WTO), the patient organizations platform (Pop), the organization of consumers and users (OCU) and the platform of seniors and pensioners (PMP) They have shown themselves against the elimination of physical prospects on the role of medications that are administered in pharmacies and have requested through a joint positioning that live with digital prospects -with QR codesfor example- that the European Commission wants to implement.
“The five -year period, currently marked by the European Directive for the elimination of the paper prospect, is insufficient to close a digital gap as deep as the one that affects millions of citizens. Adaptation to an exclusively electronic model requires more time for anyone to be behind. The digital transformation in the health field must be progressive and realistic, taking into account that overcoming inequalities of this caliber requires a wider temporary horizon and comprehensive strategies that ensure an inclusive and effective transition, “says positioning.
From the Ministry of Health They trust that the complete entry into force of these regulations, which will be applied in each state “depending on its own idiosyncrasy to determine what format is preferred and in what situations” It will still take “several years or even a decade”because it still has to be negotiated and debated in the European Council and Parliament. However, sources from the department of Mónica García say that “both the prospect and cardboard of medicines are necessary to guarantee the correct administration and safety of medicines, especially for some sectors of the population, and, therefore, they must be maintained While so. The prospect will be on paper while necessary for patients“. The president of the CGCOF, Jesús Aguilar, said Wednesday that” the Spanish authorities are aligned with us. “
Aguilar has read the five requests of the organizations that have wanted to warn of the consequences of the elimination of paper prospects, which are, in addition to maintaining this format “as a legal obligation” and “accompanying the containers”, promoting inclusive measures in the digitalization of society, Foster studies for the impact of changes with thisprotect vulnerable groups and boost educational campaigns on the safe use of medicines.
The aforementioned organizations support “the incorporation of electronic formats as a complement to the paper prospect” since they consider that “it can provide expanded and updated information for those who have access to digital tools.” The digital format offers another “advantage”, such as the possibility of enlarging letter size for people with vision problems.
Printed version challenges
On the other hand, the signatories have recognized that the paper prospect has improvement challenges ahead, such as being more “friendly” and “marrying the scientific language with which it understands most of the population.” On behalf of the Platform of Seniors and Pensioners (PMP) has been its president of the Health Commission, José Manuel Freire, who added that “very often” the literature of paper prospects, which he considers “very important”, is “Difficult to interpret, even for toilets Like myself. ”
At the same time that you have asked that the information on paper of medicines is not supplied, he has claimed “a health system that gives time to which community nurses and family doctors can explain to patients what medications they take, for what and with what effects and contraindications. “Freire has also added that the information of medications” through a QR generates a data series that must be protected and regulated to that they do not serve to [cuestiones de] marketing“U” other issues “away from patient’s interest.
Last November, European doctors, pharmaceutical organizations, consumers and older people, among others, made a joint statement similar to this Wednesday in Spain in which legislators were requested to keep the paper prospect and use the electronic As a complementary tool. The president of the WTO, Tomás Cobo, stressed that It seeks “the clinical security of patients”.
The signatories have recalled that, according to the second report of the European Commission on the State of the digital decade, published in July 2024, only 55.6% of the EU population has at least basic digital skills, “which shows that The digital gap is still significant“In addition, a study carried out by OCU in 2022 he revealed that 78% of Spaniards preferred to have the prospect in paper format. Its health manager, Ana Sánchez, highlighted other results of this work, such as 10% said that the prospect is the main source of information about a medicine, or that of the patients who self -medicate, 88% read these ‘instructions ‘, 30% above and 58% in depth.
Pilot project in hospitals
It is worth mentioning that, at the hospital level, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) launched in January 2022 a pilot project to suppress the paper prospect and use only electronic information in a small group of medicines. In this case, Aguilar pointed out, “there is no security problem, for the patient” since it is a qualified sanitary who manages the medication and the patient does not have that responsibility. The president of the pharmacists consider “logical” that in such controlled areas As the hospitable, these measures are carried out, but not in pharmacies for general citizenship.
Health expanded the project by increasing the number of drugs included and is currently analyzing the results with the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH), which will be announced to the European Commission “and The following steps to follow will be seen, always within the scope of hospital pharmacy“. From Health they insist that the medications included in the pilot” in no case “were administered by the patient or the caregiver.
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