ESCP SPRING WORKSHOP OF CLINICAL PHARMACY IN BRATISLAVA
On April 25 - 26, 2024, the European professional-scientific workshop on clinical pharmacy took place at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Comenius University in Bratislava. It was the first workshop organised by the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy in cooperation with the Faculty of Pharmacy in Slovakia. The topic was dedicated to Pharmacotherapy challenges in the developing years: from conception to adolescence.
The European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP) is an international organization covering clinical pharmacists working in clinical practice and academia in Europe. ESCP organizes annual international meetings of clinical pharmacists, including two-day spring workshops, which focus more narrowly on specific topics from clinical practice, and broader-themed symposiums in the autumn. More than 100 experts and enthusiasts of clinical pharmacy attended the spring symposium in Bratislava.
Pharmacotherapy Challenges in the Developing Years: From Conception to Adolescence
The event was dedicated to very current and demanding topics that clinical pharmacists often have to deal with. "Treatment during pregnancy not only affects the mother but also the developing fetus. Changes in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the mother´s body can also change the effect of medicines. Moreover, during breastfeeding, many drugs pass into breast milk. When is it possible to continue breastfeeding and when to stop it? Challenges also concern the treatment of pediatric patients. As we have seen, a child is not a small adult and many drugs lack sufficient data on the effectiveness and safety of treatment in this group. Often, drugs are used 'off-label' – how to proceed in such cases?" says ESCP President Dr. Monika Lutters (Switzerland) and ESCP Vice President Dr. Anna Oleárová (Slovakia).
The program consisted of 5 plenary lectures by experts from the University of Norway, hospitals in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the National Toxicology Information Center (NTIC) in Slovakia. Topics of lectures focused on the safety and effectiveness of pharmacotherapy in pregnant and lactating women, adjustments to pharmacotherapy in the given period, drugs affecting male fertility, intoxications in pediatric patients, and management of ADHD treatment (not only) in pediatric patients.
The conference also included 4 practical workshops, where participants focused on therapeutic monitoring of drug levels in pregnant women and pediatric patients, as well as new innovative tools for predicting appropriate drug dosages, reviewing useful databases in the area of pharmacotherapy risk during pregnancy and lactation, and a tool that trains healthcare professionals in identifying medication errors and thus preventing them in neonatology.
During the conference, discussions and presentations of new scientific findings took place in the form of posters and poster presentations from academic field and clinical practice.
After the enriching program on the first day of the conference, a welcome reception was held at the Primate's Palace in Bratislava, followed by a guided tour in the Old Town of Bratislava, led by certified guide Dr. Zuzana Kilianova, one of the conference organizers.
Participation of students of Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava
Attendees of the conference were also students of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, who are interested in clinical pharmacy and pharmacology and winners of the Clinical Skills Event competition, which took place in March during the Pharmaceutical Education and Career Week at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Comenius University in Bratislava and the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Kosice.
The Spring Workshop was under the patronage of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic and the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Comenius University, Prof. Jan Klimas
The event was primarily organised thanks to the Vice President of ESCP and President of the Section of Clinical Pharmacy (SFS) Dr. Anna Oleárová, Dr. Zuzana Kiliánová, Dr. Gabriel Dóku, Dr. Natália Stollárová, who is also a member of the ESCP subgroup committee dedicated to young clinical pharmacists, and the entire ESCP committee.