A new report written on behalf of the European Collaborative Action on Medication Errors and Traceability (ECAMET) and the EAASM highlights the consequences when there is a lack of staff in complex medical treatment situations such as cancer care.

The report describes the impact of staff shortages and the size of the problem and also the severe impact on staff and family members. It also highlights that numerous electronic traceability systems and automation, being introduced are the most efficient way to reduce medication errors in cancer medication and improve efficiency to mitigate staff shortages.

The foreword has been co-signed by leading stakeholders namely: All. can, ECAMET Alliance, EHMA, and ESNO, the essence of which is summarised here:

“We believe strongly that this issue of increased efficiency through digital solutions combined with the right human resource levels is fundamental to patient safety and enhanced health outcomes. We therefore call upon the EU institutions to address this within relevant legislation to ensure that Member State-wide staff shortages are acted upon with urgency”

Key findings of the report are summarised here:

There is a shortage of staff to administer complex medication regimens and a lack of human resources can lead to longer waiting times and a spiralling down of standards and efficiency of care.
A higher number of medication errors increases the level of harm (physical and psychological) to patients, their families, and healthcare professionals
Digital solutions can be implemented quickly and efficiently and a study carried out revealed that of the 317 senior hospital pharmacists surveyed across Member States cited the main barriers to this were funding and human resources.

Source: https://eaasm.eu/en-gb/2024/06/24/press-release-a-new-report-written-on-behalf-of-the-european-collaborative-action-on-medication-errors-and-traceability-ecamet-and-the-eaasm-highlights-the-consequences-when-there-is-a-lack-of-staff/