Conference highlights the potential of integrating pharmacies into Public Health strategies

“The role of pharmacies must be recognized and integrated into Public Health strategies, promoting coordination with Local Health Units (ULS) to enhance synergies between both entities and their healthcare professionals,” stated the ANF president on Friday during the 16th APAH Value Conference.

Ema Paulino took part in the panel “Community, care, and trust: Local partnerships with impact”, where she presented pharmacies as “a valuable, available, and accessible resource throughout the national territory,” in a context of the growing evolution of primary healthcare towards “an integrated approach, incorporating concepts such as interdisciplinarity, prevention, self-care, and self-management of health”.

Collaboration between community pharmacies and ULS has been explored in several regions of the country, demonstrating the potential of this integration. One example is the collaboration with ULS Alto Minho under the C-SÉNIoR project, which aims to deprescribe proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in people aged 65 and over, achieving a reduction of about 45% in their use.

Another highlight is the innovative project with ULS Oeste, where community pharmacies act as part of the surveillance system for early detection of respiratory virus infections, contributing to a more effective and timely response.

“Community pharmacies can play a decisive role in the integrated management of healthcare, helping to reduce pressure on emergency services and improve health outcomes for the population,” said Ema Paulino, also emphasizing the importance of ongoing services such as the local dispensing of hospital medicines and the renewal of chronic therapy.

Finally, the president of ANF reiterated the importance of health data recording and sharing for more collaborative, multidisciplinary, and person-centered care delivery.

The panel also featured contributions from Ana Marques da Silva of Doctors of the World; Duarte Vital Brito of the Local Health Unit of Western Lisbon; and Manuel Lemos of the Union of Portuguese Misericórdias. The 16th conference of the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators (APAH), under the theme “Health in all policies”, took place on November 7 and 8 at the Boeira Garden Hotel Porto, in Vila Nova de Gaia.