Optel agrees FMD pilot with Oxford University Hospitals

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Global provider of traceability systems for the pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare industries, Optel Group, has signed an agreement with Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) to enable the world-renowned institution to comply with the European Union’s Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD). 

By February 9, 2019, European hospitals and retail pharmacies will be required to verify and decommission all prescription medications using their unique identifier before distributing them to patients.

Bernard Naughton, a clinical pharmacist and researcher of falsified and counterfeit drugs said: “There are a number of different actions that need to be aligned to meet the February 2019 FMD deadline; however, the solutions and processes implemented for FMD compliance will also present great benefits both in terms of workflow operations and patient safety.”

This project builds upon the evidence recently published by Naughton et al. in the BMJ OPEN journal and can act as a case study to help validate the most effective way to decommission the high volume of medications that go in and out of hospital pharmacies on an annual basis in a safe and simple manner

“This is a massive opportunity to streamline processes and attain our ultimate goal of closed-loop medication management. It’s a key step in ensuring that we meet the WHO’s Third Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm and that patients are given the safest possible care,” declares Mr. Bhulesh Vadher, Clinical Director of Pharmacy & Medicines Management at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

“Legislations like these represent a turning point in the healthcare industry, and this project can help evaluate user adoption and determine best practices for compliance in real-world scenarios,” mentions Korina Fischer, Vice-President, Healthcare at Optel Group.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) is one of the largest acute teaching trusts in the UK, with a national and international reputation for service excellence in patient care, teaching and research.

The trust’s research themes of particular strength are: cancer, cardiovascular science, diabetes, endocrinology & metabolism, infection and immunology, musculoskeletal science, neuroscience and reproduction and development. 

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