Nurse and Pharmaceutical Care (NuPhaC)

NuPhaC (Nurse and Pharmaceutical Care) is an expert consortium. In NuPhaC national and international researchers are gathered to collaborate on and strengthen research, practice, policy making and education on medication management and pharmaceutical care in nursing. NuPhaC is embedded in a network of stakeholders, including academic institutions, health care organisations, nurses in practice, physicians, pharmacists and nurse educators. Experts as well as stakeholders can represent different organisations. In NuPhaC joint forces increase possibilities and endorse pharmaceutical care in practice, with respect for the contribution of experts and stakeholders. In NuPhaC the expertise of nurses is translated to a unique collaborative landscape for interprofessional pharmaceutical care. 

 

Various definitions and models on medication management have been published. Medication management includes medication handlings of professionals and patients. When defining medication management, authors tend to focus on their own professional group, responsibilities and perspectives.  Our expert group starts from the nursing perspective and focuses on nurses’ role, yet, acknowledges the interprofessional context of medication management and therefore strives to always explicitly integrate an interprofessional approach. The following steps can be included in medication management: medication selection and procurement, ordering and prescribing, storage, preparing and dispensing, administration, monitoring, reporting, error/ safety management, interdisciplinary communication and collaboration, transmural communication and  patient support, education and empowerment. Nurses spent a lot of time on medication management. The quality of medication management has an important impact on the outcome of the patient, health care providers’ work, safety, and costs. Topics such as drug monitoring, adherence and self-management are critical in achieving qualitative pharmaceutical care.

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To be used in the name of the network, we have chosen for the concept 'pharmaceutical care'. Pharmaceutical care was defined by PCNE (Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe) as pharmacists' contribution to the care of individuals in order to optimize medicines use and improve health outcomes. As nurses have important responsabilities in caring for individuals, and we strive to optimize medicines use and improve health outcomes, this definition best suited our goals. However, in NuPhaC we focus on nurses' contribution instead of pharmacists' contribution. Medication management, pharmacotherapy and medicines optimizaltion are considered as parts of pharmaceutical care. We are aware these concepts are used in different ways in literature, interpreted differently in some countries. 

 

The expert group aims to improve the quality of pharmaceutical care in nursing by connecting stakeholders in research, education, practice and policy making.

 

Within the network inductive and deductive questions on different levels of complexity, ranging from small scaled in practice projects to larger and more fundamental international projects, are addressed. Results are disseminated within the network and translated into evidence based policy recommendations. Scientific results will be presented in academic papers. Reports will be presented to professional magazines to reach a maximum impact of the findings.

 

NuPhaC, in collaboration with its partners, engages to organize an international NuPhaC symposium every three years. The symposium provides a cutting edge update on scientific insights in pharmaceutical care in nursing, as well as practical training sessions and discussion groups.