La prescripción farmacéutica en atención primaria. Informe SESPAS 2012 / Pharmaceutical prescription in primary care. SESPAS report 2012

En 2010, el Sistema Nacional de Salud (SNS) facturó 958 millones de recetas. Dada la masiva exposición de la población a los medicamentos, los riesgos asociados a su consumo adquieren una enorme relevancia desde la perspectiva de salud pública. Pacientes sobremedicados en situaciones de bajo riesgo e inframedicados en situaciones de indicación demostrada, deficientemente informados, polimedicados, automedicados y un porcentaje no despreciable que sufre efectos adversos evitables, es en buena parte la fotografía de la prescripción en atención primaria que puede mejorarse. Sorprendentemente, la mayor parte de las estrategias farmacéuticas en el SNS no se han orientado al control de estos problemas, sino sobre todo a reducir el gasto farmacéutico, que no es el problema sino una de las consecuencias de «los problemas» de la prescripción (y de la regulación y la gestión de la prestación farmacéutica). Algunos elementos esenciales para mejorar esta situación pasan por una mayor integración asistencial, el desarrollo de la historia clínica electrónica, estrategias globales de mejora de la seguridad y la reducción del papel de la industria farmacéutica, hasta estrategias más macro, como la creación de una agencia que pueda evaluar objetivamente el valor adicional aportado por un nuevo medicamento y su coste adicional, la fijación de precios acorde con la relación coste-efectividad, la exclusión de la cobertura de medicamentos con escaso o nulo valor añadido, etc. Gestionar la prescripción implica el desarrollo de programas longitudinales de atención a los pacientes que incorporen las actuaciones clínicas de los diferentes profesionales, incluyendo a quién, cuánto y con qué tratar (AU)

In 2010, the Spanish National Health Service (NHS) paid for 958 million prescriptions. Given the massive population exposure to medication, the risks associated with drug consumption are highly significant from the perspective of public health. Areas requiring improvement in primary care prescription include overtreatment of patients in low risk situations, undertreatment of those in whom medication is indicated, poor patient information, polymedication, self-medication and the appreciable percentage of preventable adverse effects. Surprisingly, most of the pharmaceutical strategies in the NHS have not aimed to address these problems but have instead concentrated on reducing pharmaceutical expenditure, which is not a problem of pharmaceutical expenditure per se but is rather a consequence of "the problems" of prescription (and of the regulation and management of pharmaceutical services). Some key elements to improve this situation include more integrated healthcare, the development of electronic medical records systems, overall strategies to improve safety, and reducing the role of the pharmaceutical industry. Macro strategies include creating an agency able to objectively assess the additional value provided by a new drug and its additional cost, price fixing in line with cost-effectiveness, and exclusion of drugs with little or no added value from coverage, etc. Managing prescription involves the development of longitudinal patient care programs that incorporate clinical actions from different professionals, including whom to treat, how much to treat and how to treat (AU)

[Pharmaceutical prescription in primary care. SESPAS report 2012]. / La prescripción farmacéutica en atención primaria. Informe SESPAS 2012.

In 2010, the Spanish National Health Service (NHS) paid for 958 million prescriptions. Given the massive population exposure to medication, the risks associated with drug consumption are highly significant from the perspective of public health. Areas requiring improvement in primary care prescription include overtreatment of patients in low risk situations, undertreatment of those in whom medication is indicated, poor patient information, polymedication, self-medication and the appreciable percentage of preventable adverse effects. Surprisingly, most of the pharmaceutical strategies in the NHS have not aimed to address these problems but have instead concentrated on reducing pharmaceutical expenditure, which is not a problem of pharmaceutical expenditure per se but is rather a consequence of "the problems" of prescription (and of the regulation and management of pharmaceutical services). Some key elements to improve this situation include more integrated healthcare, the development of electronic medical records systems, overall strategies to improve safety, and reducing the role of the pharmaceutical industry. Macro strategies include creating an agency able to objectively assess the additional value provided by a new drug and its additional cost, price fixing in line with cost-effectiveness, and exclusion of drugs with little or no added value from coverage, etc. Managing prescription involves the development of longitudinal patient care programs that incorporate clinical actions from different professionals, including whom to treat, how much to treat and how to treat.

[Transparency and good healthcare governance: an aid to overcoming the crisis]. / Transparencia y buen gobierno en sanidad. También para salir de la crisis.

Countries thrive on an economic foundation capable of facilitating the fulfillment of human potential in a society that does not renounce major achievements such as the welfare state. A necessary condition is that the "rules of the game", formal and informal institutions, make what is socially desirable individually attractive. Improving health governance, including its dimension of controlling corruption, and helping Spain out of the current economic crisis are two sides of the same coin. Characterization of health system governance in Spain and analysis of the impact of this governance on health policy, management of healthcare organizations and clinical practice allows an ambitious and feasible agenda to be drawn up of the remaining tasks that health professionals -broadly defined- and social actors should undertake with the support of citizens.

[Pharmaceutical distribution and retail pharmacy]. / La distribución y dispensación de medicamentos.

In this chapter, the main characteristics of pharmaceutical distribution and retail pharmacy are described. The author analyses the structure of this sector, the agents operating in it -wholesalers, hospital pharmacy services and chemists- and the very few modifications introduced in it in the recent years, focusing on the incentives of its current structure and their consistency with health aims. On the basis of this analysis, the author outlines some possible ways to redefine the sector, which should focus on the promotion of desirable health objectives rather than on the survival of the inefficacies that hinder its evolution. The author pays special attention to the need to modify the inadequate existing retribution system and to substitute it for a different one, which focuses on the professionalism of the service provided, rather than on the profit margin or the sales.

La distribución y dispensación de medicamentos / Pharmaceutical distribution and retail pharmacy

En este capítulo se describen los principales rasgos de la distribución y dispensación farmacéutica. Se analizan la estructura del sector, los agentes que operan en él –mayoristas, servicios de farmacia hospitalarios y oficinas de farmacia– y las escasas modificaciones operadas en los últimos tiempos, atendiendo especialmente a los incentivos presentes en el diseño actual y su congruencia con algunos objetivos de salud. Con esa base se apuntan algunas vías por las que debería encauzarse la redefinición del sector, que deberían estar más atentas a promover el logro de los objetivos sanitarios deseables que a la pervivencia de las múltiples ineficiencias y gabelas que van jalonado su evolución. De manera especial se señala la necesidad de modificar el inadecuado sistema vigente que retribuye la dispensación, sustituyéndolo por otro que refleje los servicios profesionales prestados en lugar del margen de beneficios o el volumen de sus ventas (AU)

In this chapter, the main characteristics of pharmaceutical distribution and retail pharmacy are described. The author analyses the structure of this sector, the agents operating in it –wholesalers, hospital pharmacy services and chemists’- and the very few modifications introduced in it in the recent years, focusing on the incentives of its current structure and their consistency with health aims. On the basis of this analysis, the author outlines some possible ways to redefine the sector, which should focus on the promotion of desirable health objectives rather than on the survival of the inefficacies that hinder its evolution. The author pays special attention to the need to modify the inadequate existing retribution system and to substitute it for a different one, which focuses on the professionalism of the service provided, rather than on the profit margin or the sales (AU)