About us and our objectives

The Social and Administrative Pharmacy Section (SAPS) brings together FIP members from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some work in government departments of health, pharmaceutical companies, professional societies, chain pharmacies, wholesalers or with private healthcare providers such as health maintenance organisations. Others work as researchers in social pharmacy, academic administrators or consultants in various fields of health care. Our uniting interest is the organisation of pharmacy practice and the provision of evidence for decision-making in all areas related to pharmacy policy and advocacy.

Over recent years SAPS has built up special expertise in the following areas:

• Pharmacoeconomics
• Outcomes research
• Research administration
• Quality assurance
• Pharmacoepidemiology
• Quality-of-life studies
• Epidemiology
• Patient satisfaction
• Professional society management
• Evaluation research
• Evidence-based practice
• Health planning
• Regulatory affairs
• Health policy investigations

We invite new FIP members to take the opportunity to make an impact in a smaller FIP section, and current FIP members to choose SAPS as a second or third membership option.

How we work

Our Executive Committee currently consists of:

*Elections postponed due to postponement of Seville congress.

The SAPS Business Meeting for 2021 will be held virtually on 11 September 2021, at 13:00 CEST
During the business meeting this year, we will be holding elections for three positions- two executive committee members, and for the Treasurer.

The SAPS Elections 2021 will be held under the following conditions:

• All voting will be electronic, with FIP staff to collate and finalise the votes.
• Voting will be open to all financial members of SAPs, and each member will be sent the electronic link to vote after the meeting concludes.
• This link will be valid for voting for 24 hours after the meeting concludes, to give some extra time in case connection issues arise. After these 24 hours, votes will no longer be accepted. 
• The outcome of the elections will be communicated to all members 48 hours after the elections have concluded.
• As all members will be able to vote, nominations for positions must be submitted before the meeting- no nominations will be allowed after this end date.
• The deadline for submission of nominations will be 13:00 CEST 15 August 2021.
• The nominees must submit a CV, a nomination form and a video presentation (3 mins max). It is also advised that they be presented during the meeting to answer questions from the meeting, although this is not essential.
• The nomination form can be found here.
• Nominations to be submitted to the SAPS Secretary at saps@fip.org

The current statutes of the Social and Administrative Pharmacy Section were adopted by the Bureau on 22 April 2020.

FIP Social and Administrative Pharmacy Section (SAPS) Research Award and Covid-19 Research Award

The FIP SAPS Research Award is established to fund new research initiatives. Projects should be relevant to SAPS or to FIP more broadly. The FIP SAPS Covid-19 Research Award should be relevant to SAPS or to FIP more broadly, and also be related to Covid-19.

SAPS is offering a €1,500 award to cover costs for each of the selected projects. The uniting interest for SAPS is the organisation of pharmacy practice and the provision of evidence for decision-making in all areas related to pharmacy policy and advocacy.

SAPS has built up special expertise in Pharmacoeconomics, Outcomes research, Research administration, Quality assurance, Pharmacoepidemiology, Quality-of-life studies, Epidemiology, Patient satisfaction, Professional society management, Evaluation research, Evidence-based practice, Health planning, Regulatory affairs and Health policy investigations.

It is expected that the project would be suitable for presentation either via a poster or short oral presentation at a future FIP congress. Applicants must be members in good standing of the SAPS Section of FIP. 

Download the application form for FIP SAPS Research Award here and more information on this award and the marking rubric is available here.

The application form for the FIP SAPS Covid-19 Research Award can be accessed here and more information and the marking rubric here.

Applications need to be submitted prior to 1 May 2021 at saps@fip.org

Activities

At the FIP congress

During the FIP congress we organise programmes and social events for our pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences members, often in cooperation with other FIP sections or working groups. SAPS sessions at the 2017 World congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Seoul, Republic of Korea, included:

• Listen better, talk better — Skills to improve medicines taking
• Individualised medicines: And ethical approach
• Gene-based therapy 101
• Healthy ageing
• Patient safety: How resilient are your services?
• Medicine shortages: The International Toronto Summit and beyond

SAPS sessions at the FIP congress in 2016 included:

• How to achieve good public health across cultures
• Strengthening the profession through great promotional campaigns
• eHealth, mHealth, smart health
• Big data: Beauty or beast?

Each year during the FIP congress we hold a business meeting where members can make contact, contribute thoughts, and influence the future development of the section.

Newsletters

We publish our own section newsletter four times a year to keep members informed about SAPS activities between congresses.

Follow us on twitter or get in touch by email (SAPS@fip.org).

Annual report 

The SAPS annual report is available here.