Digital transformation of healthcare may allow for more inclusive, equitable and ethical use of healthcare resources, can improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, and is often more environmentally friendly, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) said in a statement of policy.
However, the full potential of digital and technology-enabled solutions cannot be achieved without the implementation of interoperability, which must be a prerequisite for any digital technology development.
This includes the use of internationally recognised interoperability standards, terminology and taxonomy, FIP said.
Chair of the FIP Technology Forum Jacqueline Surugue said: “We expect the impact of digital advances, such as predictive and personalised medicine, facial recognition, natural language processing and augmented reality, to gain even greater significance.
“We must be prepared to tackle the challenges to usher pharmacy into its digitally supported future.”
Furthermore, to leverage the potential of digital health into a sustainable pharmacy ecosystem, the world needs a confident, capable, agile and digitally enabled pharmaceutical workforce, FIP said.
Its new policy statement makes a number of specific recommendations to academic institutions in particular, in addition to government and policymakers, FIP member organisations and pharmacists in order to support digital transformation.
Pharmacists, for example, are recommended to be a “driving force” in incorporating evidence-based digital technologies into daily practice and to facilitate patients’ digital literacy.
“With this policy statement, FIP is leading on preparations for the future so that the pharmacy profession is prepared to improve health and well-being through digital therapeutics,” Ms Surugue said.
“The statement also makes clear that FIP is committed to advocating the adoption of common digital standards, to promoting the importance of interoperability, and to supporting its member organisations to develop in this area.”
The full FIP Statement of Policy can be found here.
