Working Groups
Medicinal Drugs and Driving
Objectives
• Develop strategies and supporting materials to implement the FIP
statement of professional standards on the supply of medicines affecting
driving performance
• Describe new ways to use labels and warning systems affixed to
medicines with a potential to impair driving - to allow patients and
healthcare professional to make safer use of psychotropic medicines
Most developments are conducted within the framework of the European DRUID-Project (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, alcohol and medicines).
Pharmacists' expertise will be needed to disseminate new information to patients and prescribing physicians. Information on a European categorisation system, according the impairing potential of different medicines, will become available by 2010-2011.
ICT supported tools are evaluated by DRUID Partners in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands, allowing pharmacists to advise patients and physicians about the impairing effects of prescribed psychotropic medicines. Deliverables on the results are expected in 2011.
After the dissemination of DRUID results it is expected that the Pharmacy Information Section can play a significant role in developing new strategies to support FIP in updating the FIP statement and making it more effective.
Chair: Han de Gier
Medicines Information
Objectives
• Enhance the role of pharmacists as providers of independent information to support the rational and safe use of medicines
• Enhance access to medicines information for consumers and health professionals
• Focus on the needs for special populations, notably people with low literacy or sight loss
Activities
• "Consumer Medicines Information - improving access for people with low literacy or visual impairment"
• Input into the FIP "Statement of Policy on Medicines Information for Patients"
• "Requirements for Drug Information Centres", 2005; "The Role of a Pharmacist as a Medicines Information Specialist", 2007
• Pre-congress events: "Developing Medicines Information Services" 2009, "Resources to Support Medicines Information Services" 2010
• Global Survey of Drug Information Centres, 2010
• "Open Access Sources of Medicines Information" (Click to open PDF document)
Chair: Graeme Vernon
For further information on Working Groups contact Graeme Vernon, Working Group Coordinator, Executive Committee; graeme.vernon@austin.org.au
