Systematic economic evaluation of pharmaceutical services reduces the health spending.

-Economic assessment would allow the pharmacist make their pharmaceutical care with better information on the efficiency of the different interventions, improving the efficiency of the health system

-this would affect both primary care and specialty care expenditure-saving

-to determine what pharmaceutical interventions are the most effective in patients It is necessary, first, to extend the pharmaceutical care to all pharmacies, then, evaluate various interventions

Vigo, Galicia, 2011-October currently, to reduce pharmaceutical spending, only it is acting on the price of medicines, not on other formulas that can contribute significantly to improving the efficiency of the national health system, as it is the economic evaluation applied to pharmaceutical care ”. This is the situation the economy’s health, Ángel Sanz Granda, expert pointed out during his presentation on the economic evaluation of pharmaceutical care in the 7th National Congress of pharmaceutical care held in Vigo from September 29 to October 1.

For Sanz Granda, an effort to develop in all pharmacies in Spain pharmaceutical care, making it a totally regular and standardized activity, prerequisite to assess economically such interventions is first necessary to ”. In this process, the expert has pointed out some disadvantages, mainly derived from the rigidity of the legal regulations that the drug carries about.

Subsequently, economic evaluation pursues the quantification of the resources used to estimate the cost to each of the interventions, in this case, pharmaceutical care, and what health outcomes produced. The joint analysis of these two figures leads to the efficiency of pharmaceutical interventions. With this information, the health administration would have elements to promote the application of resources in those interventions that have demonstrated scientifically that they are more efficient ”.

The expert has tempered the economic evaluation of pharmaceutical care isn’t wholistic, but that allows to identify interventions most appropriate according to pathologies or needs, taking into account also the specificities of certain profiles of patients and users ”.

For example, in the case of diabetes type 2, today is discouraged the self-control of their blood glucose in a comprehensive manner, when scientific studies have shown that it is efficient for certain groups of patients with diabetes with a specific profile. The identification of what interventions are most effective for each patient profile would be a cost savings for the health system from the first moment ”, explained.

Angel Sanz Granda has drawn attention that certain measures applied of isolation in certain areas, such as primary care ”, may affect other parts of the health system, in a manner contrary for which a cost-cutting without taking into account the total interdependence of the health system can cause increases in costs, unwanted in other components of the system ”.

Spending on medicines is one of the few health magnitudes which has complete information. For this reason, most of the health expenditure-cutting measures are aimed in that direction. However, the economic evaluation of health services and technologies allows to adjust expenses so that money obtained the maximum benefit. Assessment gives a double positive outcome: on the one hand, helps citizens to give the best service or technology available, and, on the other hand, allows a substantial cost savings to the health system, both short-term and medium and long term ”, has stressed the expert.

Pharmaceutical care is the active participation of the pharmacist in the improvement of the quality of life of the patient through the dispensation, indicating and monitoring pharmacotherapy. Such participation involves cooperation with your doctor and other health professionals to achieve results that will improve the quality of life of the patient, as well as its involvement in activities that provide good health and prevent diseases.