2022 SEFH national survey on hospital pharmacy services in Spain: Human resources, infrastructure, technology, information systems, education and research

Purpose

To present results of the 2022 SEFH-Survey on Spanish Hospital Pharmacy Departments covering care, staffing, resources, technology, education, and research.

Methods

A cross-sectional descriptive study via a voluntary online survey sent to 353 hospitals in Spain. Data were collected from July–December 2022. Long-stay hospitals and correctional facilities were excluded.

Results

Response rate was 54.1%. Public hospitals represented 62.6%. Only 10.1% of departments operated 24/7, rising to 39.3% in larger hospitals. Half lacked continuous care service. Outpatients' services operated in mornings and afternoons in 54.8% of them (78.6% in larger centers). Telepharmacy for outpatients reached 57.7% of hospitals. ISO 9000 standards were followed by 70.7% and 14.4% adopted the Joint Commission model.

Each department had on average 7.0 specialist pharmacists (8.8 in public; 3.9 in private), increasing to 13.4 in larger hospitals. Of these, 3.8 pharmacists worked at least half-time in clinical units. Pharmacy technicians were the most common non-pharmacist professionals (mean: 6.9). Including residents, 9.936 professionals worked in Hospital Pharmacy Departments nationwide.

Automated dispensing carousels averaged 0.4 (horizontal) and 1.1 (vertical) per department. Automated dispensing systems covered 19.8% of beds. Robotic outpatient dispensing existed in 20.0% of hospitals. Technology for sterile workflow was used in 45.3%, 10.0% had robotics for cytostatic compounding and 61.7% smart infusion pumps.

Pharmaceutical care was provided in emergency services in 39.8% of hospitals, rising to 67.4 in larger ones. In home hospitalization, it was offered at 32.5% of departments, rising to 60.7% in centers with over 1000 beds.

Sterile formulations were prepared in 82.3% of departments; 15.7% managed advanced therapies. Drug level monitoring was measured in 16.1%, and 43.1% issued pharmacokinetics reports. Pharmacogenetic reports were produced in 8.7%.

On average pharmacy departments attended 3.635 outpatients, totaling 1,28 million nationwide. Cytostatic preparations averaged 31,199 and 46,263 in hospitals with over 500 and 1000 beds, respectively. Clinical trials per department averaged 424.

A total of 321 pharmacists were associate university professors, 401 held board certifications, and there were 2.3 PhD holders per department.

Conclusion

Hospital Pharmacy Departments are advancing in clinical integration, pharmacokinetics, automation, traceability, and outpatient care, though staffing remains limited and disparities persist. Teaching is strong, yet research remains modest.