Analysis of the medication-use process in North American hospital systems: underlining key points for adoption to improve patient safety in French hospitals.

This project was designed to underline any actions relative to medication error prevention and patient safety improvement setting up in North American hospitals which could be implemented in French Parisian hospitals. A literature research and analysis of medication-use process in the North American hospitals and a validation survey of hospital pharmacist managers in the San Diego area was performed to assess main points of hospital medication-use process. Literature analysis, survey analysis of respondents highlighted main differences between the two countries at three levels: nationwide, hospital level and pharmaceutical service level. According to this, proposal development to optimize medication-use process in the French system includes the following topics: implementation of an expanded use of information technology and robotics; increase pharmaceutical human resources allowing expansion of clinical pharmacy activities; focus on high-risk medications and high-risk patient populations; develop a collective sense of responsibility for medication error prevention in hospital settings, involving medical, pharmaceutical and administrative teams. Along with a strong emphasis that should be put on the identified topics to improve the quality and safety of hospital care in France, consideration of patient safety as a priority at a nationwide level needs to be reinforced.

[Drugs under temporary use authorisation: 50 years of French drug development]. / Les autorisations temporaires d' utilisation (ATU): 50 ans d' histoire de l' évolution de la réglementation des médicaments en France.

Drug under temporary use authorisation (authorisation temporaire d' utilisation - ATU) was created in 1994 in France. Before this date, various procedures controlled patients' use of imported drug and drug in process. The AIDS pandemy development in 80's and the need to control news drugs patients' use contributed to the ATU statement setting up. This regulatory statement allows companies to sell drugs without market drug authorisation (autorisation de mise sur le marché - AMM), the letter being done in adequation with good pharmaceutical quality and a satisfactory level of benefices/ risks ratio. It's a recent French drug evaluation evolution.