SEHA successfully concludes 1st Abu Dhabi Pharmacy Conference with call for best pharmacy practices, medication safety and adoption of 'smart' technologies in the Pharmacy practices

Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), an independent public joint stock company that owns and operates all public hospitals and clinics across the emirate, has revealed the successful conclusion of the first edition of the Abu Dhabi Pharmacy Conference (AdPhaC), an event that aims to bring together the most recognized names in healthcare and pharmacy practice, which ran recently at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). At the end of the exciting three-day event, SEHA made the call to continue development of the best pharmacy practices and the adoption of ‘smart’ technologies that can help improve the safe  pharmacy practice in hospitals and ambulatory care settings. SEHA’s recommendations included placing strong focus on specialized programs under the Medication Therapy Management (MTM), which is aimed towards improving the quality of drugs therapy. The final statement covered a range of future proposals, represented primarily in supporting the development of the pharmaceutical practice, its safety and the adoption of smart technologies in the medical prescription process. The conference also showcased the expansion of the scope of application for the Pharmacological Robot, which represents a quantum leap in reducing medication errors, the evaluation of medicinal consulting and the review of the treatment plan by the pharmacists for the patient's level of medication, as well as enhancing the leadership competencies of Pharmacists. SEHA's final statement pointed out the importance of further developing pharmacy based services, particularly for ambulatory health care centres and the objective of planning and implementing Pharmacists- medication programs for chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes and hypertension. Moreover, discussions held at the event led to the call to continue the adoption of a strategic medication management guide and to also reinforce the unified automated integration of all pharmaceutical exchange systems like the Single Drug Dose System and the Pumping infusion System. Fatima Al Breiki, Group Pharmaceutical Director, SEHA and Chairman of the event's organizing committee, confirmed the importance of the final recommendations, which were the result of in-depth discussions that were conducted during the conference workshops and interactive seminars, which were joined in by a group of international experts and pioneers of the pharmaceutical sector. She pointed out that the proposals adopted at the conclusion of the first session represents an important addition to the national efforts to create a health system with international standards in order to keep UAE as one of the best countries in the quality of health care. “We are pleased with the strong response that we have received for this pioneering event for the region, which is focused towards the development of better and improved pharmaceutical practices. The success of AdPhaC 2016 has inspired us to continue in the efforts to enrich knowledge and encourage excellence and innovation in health care, through the provision of world-class interactive platform to discuss and explore new horizons for the pharmacy practices and medication safety, which is considered an important component for the medical and health care sector. We look forward to coordinating closely with our strategic partners and pioneers of the pharmaceutical sector to follow up the implementation of the recommendations and proposals to ensure the achievement of our strategic goals,” said Al Breiki. During the conference’s, Dr. Ali Al Obaidli, Chief of Academic Affairs Division, SEHA, and Mohamed Hareb Al Qemzi, Chief of Support Services Division, SEHA, honored the speakers and members of AdPhaC's organizational and scientific committees for their contributions that has led to the success of this first-time event. More than 1,500 participants attended the event, which was lauded for its discussion and presentation of timely topics in today's Medical and Pharmaceutical institutions further demonstrating the keenness of the Abu Dhabi government to develop medical services, health care solutions and bringing it to a level comparable to their counterparts in the world. Participants praised SEHA for the successful hosting of the event and expressed their intentions to be part of next year's second edition of the event. AdPhaC 2016 highlighted key issues like top patient care, pharmacy practice and industry concerns like advances in pharmacy practice, medication safety, informatics, pharmacy hospital practice, ambulatory care and pharmacy innovations. The event also hosted an exhibition for healthcare and pharmaceutical companies from the region and beyond to showcase and leverage their products across participating health care professionals. The event was supported by leading industry companies such as Pfizer, Sanofi, Novartis, Sandoz, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, AstraZeneca and Carefusion. The conference was endorsed by leading medical organizations that include the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), the Institute for Safe Medication Practices-Canada (ISMP – Canada) and the International Medication Safety Network (IMSN). Participants also received 25.5 hours of knowledge-based continuing pharmacy education credits from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and 21 CME hours from Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD).