Europe lags behind the US in DM

PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 365 - 1 Jun 2002

Europe lags behind the US in DMEurope lags behind the US in the area of disease

management (DM), which, as a concept, differsbetween countries, says Dr Francesca Venturini ofPharmacy Interna, Verona, Italy.

Dr Venturini interviewed ESCP* members from 13countries across Europe to determine the transferabilityof DM programmes. Results showed that DMprogrammes were implemented to some degree in nineof the countries, while four countries had no suchprogrammes in place. Among countries with existingDM programmes, they were consistently not in place inItaly and the UK, not available in primary care in TheNetherlands, while DM programmes in Switzerlandremained experimental. Dr Venturini notes that DMprogrammes are promoted by the government in mostcountries, despite a lack of government-fundedhealthcare systems in many cases. She adds that,‘regardless of who is the major provider of health care,there is a need for continuity of care between hospitaland primary care’. The study highlighted a lack ofcontinuity of care, however, with seven of the 13countries reporting no interaction between hospital andcommunity pharmacists to discuss patient care. Also ofnote, Dr Venturini observed that, in some cases,pharmaceutical manufacturers were involved in DMmanagement which suggests a potential conflict ofinterest.* European Society of Clinical Pharmacy

How transferable are disease management programmes? Pharmaceutical Journal268: 695, 18 May 2002 800907012

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 1 Jun 2002 No. 3651173-5503/10/0365-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved