Uppsala Reports Long Reads – Safety issues faced by refugee communities

The loss of vital health records is a universal problem for
refugees. When their medical information goes missing, patients
are less likely to receive the care they need and more likely to
be prescribed the wrong treatments. Thankfully, the International
Society of Pharmacovigilance Egypt Chapter and the Palestine Red
Crescent Society are taking on this problem, to reduce medication
errors and improve reporting practices.

This episode is part of the Uppsala Reports Long Reads series –
the most topical stories from UMC’s pharmacovigilance magazine,
brought to you in audio format. Find the original article
here.

After the read, we speak to Mohamed Elhawary and Hadir Rostom,
who co-authored the article, to learn more about their work and
the overall challenge of ensuring medicines safety in vulnerable
communities.

Tune in to find out:


What the most frequent causes of medication errors in refugee
communities are

How electronic health records can help prevent harm to
patients 

Why safety monitoring is crucial when there is a shortage of
medicines



Want to know more?
The International Society of Pharmacovigilance runs a
Special Interest Group on medication errors to promote the
implementation of best safety practices around the world. They
also organise a range of networking and training activities for
pharmacovigilance professionals on different aspects of medicines
safety.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has
practical advice for healthcare workers to promote treatment
adherence in refugee settings.

Finally, don’t forget to ­subscribe to the monthly Uppsala
Reports newsletter for free regular updates from the world of
pharmacovigilance.





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