Research group Sustainable Pharmaceutical Care
The research group focuses on the question: how do we ensure that pharmaceutical care works for patients, healthcare providers and the planet? We conduct practice-oriented research on how medicines can be prescribed, dispensed, and used in a way that makes care effective and safe, but also socially, organizationally, economically, and ecologically sustainable.
Lines of research within the research group
This research line centers on the question of how proven effective interventions for proper medication use, such as adherence and medication safety interventions, can be truly embedded sustainably in daily practice.
We investigate which implementation strategies work in different care contexts (community pharmacy, general practice, home nursing, hospital), with special attention to vulnerable groups and people with limited health literacy. Digital tools, data analysis, and e-health solutions play an important supporting role.
Key Projects
- MAKE-IT and MAKE-IT 2.0 – implementation of adherence interventions in primary care
- Support for medication self-management among people with limited health literacy
Sustainable pharmaceutical care is teamwork. This research line focuses on interprofessional and informal collaboration around medication: between pharmacists, general practitioners, nurses, paramedics (such as skin therapists), other healthcare providers, and informal caregivers.
We develop and evaluate collaboration models and communication strategies that ensure better coordinated, person-centered, and safe pharmaceutical care, for example during care transitions (admission and discharge) and in cases of complex medication use at home.
Key Projects
- Collaboration in pharmaceutical care – a network-oriented approach to medication use with patients, informal caregivers, and healthcare providers
- Multidisciplinary care pathways, including for eczema in primary care
- Support for informal caregivers in medication management
This research line focuses on the ecological and economic sustainability of the pharmaceutical chain. We investigate how medication waste can be reduced, how the environmental impact of medicines and processes can be mapped and minimized, and how efficient (de)prescribing can be implemented in practice.
We look at both policy and organizational aspects as well as the daily actions of healthcare professionals and patients. Together with partners in the chain, we explore circular and other innovative solutions.
Key Projects
- ROAD – re-dispensing expensive unused oncology drugs and reducing waste and costs
- Research into sustainable prescribing policies
- Development of strategies for reducing and responsibly processing healthcare waste
Publications
- EQUANU: Equality in Societal and Professional Recognition of Nurses A Cross-Sectional Study on Societal and Professional Recognition of European Nurses
- Medication-related health literacy in patients on hemodialysis assessed with the RALPH interview guide
- Cross-sectional evaluation of pharmaceutical care competences in nurse education how well do curricula prepare students of different educational levels?
Education
There is a strong link with the Pharmaceutical Business Administration programme, but also with other (paramedical) healthcare programmes at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. After all, pharmaceutical care is interprofessional and plays an important role at many levels within healthcare. The pharmaceutical field is undergoing rapid change.
“The context of medicinal use is at least as much a source of variability in the effect of medication as is pharmacology.”
Rob Heerdink Professor of Sustainable Pharmaceutical Care
Collaboration
One does not innovate or conduct research on one’s own. The research group therefore collaborates with many parties in the field of healthcare (pharmacies, hospitals, other healthcare providers), research (universities, research institutes) and the business community (eHealth developers, pharmaceutical distribution).
Our professors and researchers
Would you like to collaborate or do you have any questions?
