Transforming pharmaceutical care through research
- 10-13th February, 2027
- Neues Schulauer Fährhaus (Wedel) Hamburg, Germany
The 15th PCNE Working Conference will take place in Hamburg, Germany from 10th to 13th February 2027
The registration for the 15th PCNE Working Conference 2027 in Hamburg, Germany (10th to 13th February 2027) and abstract submission will open on 1.October 2026
The “Transforming pharmaceutical care through research” conference aims to connect science and practice.
Keynote lectures will highlight how to scale up and sustain pharmaceutcial care, how design thinking can help us to find solutions for current problems, how to design robust research projects and will finally explore the ethical perspective, are we doing the right thing?
We are confident that the inspiring environment, fresh air on the shore of the river Elbe, and excellent networking opportunities will spark new ideas and foster collaborations.
Venue: The conference will take place at the Schulauer Fährhaus (Parnaßstraße 29, 22880 Wedel)
Conference Highlights
- Workshops: 12 hours of intensive learning
- Foppe van Mill Memorial Lecture
- Three Keynote Lectures
- Short Oral Presentations
- Poster Session
PCNE General Assembly: will be held in a hybrid format for PCNE members on Thursday, February 11th, at 17:30.
The best poster presentation and the best oral communication will be awarded!
Networking event
A networking (social) event will be held on Friday, February 12th, at the Restaurant Elbe1, within walking distance from the conference venue. The social event includes a dinner, registration for the event will be available in the registration form.
Sponsorship options are still available.
Keynote lecture 1: Wednesday, 10th February 2027 13:15h
Foppe van Mil Memorial Lecture
Title: “Beyond Effectiveness: Implementing Complex Interventions at Scale”
Speaker: Prof. Derek Stewart, Editor‑in‑Chief of the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
Despite extensive evidence on the efficacy and effectiveness of healthcare service innovations generated through methodologies such as randomised trials, cohort studies and economic evaluations, fewer studies demonstrate transformation through implementation and sustainability at scale. Yet meaningful health gain and optimal resource utilisation only occur when innovations are embedded, spread and maintained in healthcare systems. This lecture will focus on the implementation phase of the Medical Research Council framework for complex interventions, highlighting the theoretical lenses that support transformation at scale.
The lecture will be delivered by Professor Derek Stewart, Editor‑in‑Chief of the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, honouring the legacy of Foppe van Mil, the founding Editor‑in‑Chief, whose commitment to advancing pharmaceutical care continues to have significant impact.
Keynote lecture 2: Thursday, 11th February 2027, 9:00h
Creativity And Innovation In Healthcare Transformation – Design Thinking As A Viable Approach In The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Age
Dr. Joseph Maloba Makhoka, Senior Innovation Advisor – Growth House, University of Oslo, Norway
Advances in healthcare have arguably contributed to some of the most meaningful improvements in human life. Today, we are still faced with challenges – some new and other old – in transforming pharmaceutical care in particular, and medicine in general. This talk proposes applying Design Thinking approach in seeking such transformation, since this method helps teams conceive innovative ideas. Finally we consider the implications of the rapidly improving AI technologies on both research and practice with regard to this quest.
Keynote lecture 3: Friday, 12th February 2027, 9:00h
Title
Prof. Hanna Seidling, University of Heidelberg, Germany
abstract
Keynote lecture 4: Saturday, 13th February 2027, 9:00h
An Ethical Perspective on Pharmaceutical Care
Rainer Heide, University of Passau; Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Deontology, Utilitarianism and the Bioethical Principles in Practice
This lecture examines pharmaceutical care (pDL) through three complementary ethical frameworks. Starting from Kant’s deontology, it shows how the categorical imperative — through the formulas of universalizability, human dignity, and autonomy — grounds pharmaceutical care as a lived ethic of duty, demanding standardized, respectful, and consent-based practice.
The talk then turns to utilitarianism, contrasting act- and rule-based reasoning to explore how pharmaceutical services generate individual and systemic benefit, while surfacing tensions between autonomy and welfare, individual cases and social resource allocation.
Finally, the four bioethical principles of Beauchamp and Childress — autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice — are applied to concrete pDL scenarios to illustrate how these principles function not as a rigid algorithm but as a reflexive framework for everyday ethical judgment in pharmacy practice.
Taken together, the three perspectives argue that ethical competence — the ability to navigate recurring tensions between duty, benefit, and fairness — is an integral part of the pharmacist’s professional identity.
1. Implementing Complex Interventions at Scale: Approaches and Theoretical Lenses
Workshop facilitators: Prof. Derek Stewart, International Journal of Clinical pharmacy; Prof. Zachariah Nazar, Qatar University
Background:
The Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for complex interventions describes complex intervention research as 4 phases underpinned by core elements. Of these phases, the implementation phase attracts less attention in the research literature. Described as ‘deliberate efforts to increase impact and uptake of successfully tested health innovations’, it is this phase that supports transformation through implementation and sustainability at scale. In this workshop, participants will gain hands-on experience with theoretical lenses that support transformation at scale and consider how these may apply to their own research.
Aim:
- To explore the implementation phase of the MRC framework, with hands-on experience of theoretical lenses that support transformation at scale.
Learning objectives:
- Explain the implementation phase of the MRC framework for complex interventions.
- Compare and differentiate key theoretical lenses used in implementation research (Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research [CFIR], Normalization Process Theory [NPT], Theoretical Domains Framework [TDF]).
- Select and justify appropriate theoretical lenses for implementation research questions.
- Apply theoretical lenses to implementation research.
- Construct a scoping review protocol examining the application of implementation theory in pharmacy research.
Activities:
- Introduction to the MRC framework including key considerations and challenges relating to implementation, scale-up and sustainability.
- Group work exploring the principal domains/constructs, purposes, strengths and limitations of theoretical lenses (CFIR, NPT, TDF).
- Group work critically appraising recent implementation studies employing CFIR, NPT, TDF, focusing on selection and justification.
- Individual and group work applying theoretical lenses to identify and analyse determinants of implementation, using findings to consider implementation strategies.
- Group work preparing an initial scoping review protocol on the application of implementation theory in pharmacy research.
Targeted workshop participants: This workshop is most suited to PhD students and novice researchers.
After the workshop for those interested:
- Opportunity to progress the scoping review for submission to International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
2. AI as a Research Partner: Quality Criteria for the Future of Pharmaceutical Care Research
Workshop facilitators: Dr Charlotte Rossing, Pharmakon, Denmark; Prof. Kreshnik Hoti, University of Prishtina, Kosovo
Background: Mapping the field
•Presentation: Where is AI already being used in pharmaceutical care research today?
•Participants map their own experiences (what works, what raises concerns)
•Review of existing quality criteria as a starting point
Aim: To develop a set of concrete, shared quality principles for the use of AI in pharmaceutical care research — applicable to both qualitative and quantitative research for future pharmaceutical care research.
Activities:
•Group work: for each classic quality criterion
(transparency, reflexivity, reproducibility, audit trail, etc.), discuss:
What does AI challenge here? What must we insist on?
•Cases: participants test/discuss concrete examples to ground the discussion
•Plenary summary of key tensions
Formulating principles
•Group work to draft concrete criteria/principles (e.g. reporting requirements for AI use, requirements for human validation, transparency about prompts/models used)
•Joint prioritisation and consolidation in plenary
•Agreement on next steps
3.From guidelines to implementation: Insights in barriers and facilitators in delivering pharmaceutical care for Diabetes Type 2 patients
Workshop facilitators: Dr. Kenji Fujita, The University of Sydney, Kolling Institute, Australia; Dr. Kjell H. Halvorsen, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway; Dr. Martina Teichert, Leiden University, Netherlands
In this workshop a framework for a topic guide will be developed to interview CP and other stakeholders about pharmaceutical care needed and wanted for DM2 patients, and about barriers and facilitators both to implementing these services and to measuring related QI scores.
Aims of the workshop
After this workshop, participants will be able to:
– gain knowledge on the feasibility of QI measurements and benchmarking on the example of Japan,
– get insight into the development of a general QI set in Norway to measure quality in community pharmacies
– understand barriers and facilitators in using QI the Netherlands,
– interpret the results of the prior QI validation study and reflect on their meaning to CP and stakeholders as patients, healthcare inspectorate, health insurance companies and policy makers,
– understand preconditions to implement pharmacy services, clustered for their manageability by CP themselves and by other parties needed,
– get insight in how views of the different parties can be questioned on community pharmacy services to optimise care for DM2 patients in their countries, with the information on the performance needed
– generate initial ideas for participating in collaborative qualitative research that captures stakeholder perspectives on type 2 diabetes pharmaceutical care services, exploring the barriers and facilitators to implementation in various countries.
4. Toward a common internal structure/taxonomy for Medication Reviews
Workshop Facilitators:
Prof. Hans de Loof, University of Antwerp, Belgium; Dr. Ronja Woltersdorf, University of Bonn, Germany; Dr. Isabel Waltering, University of Münster, Germany
Background: The objective of the workshop is to establish expert consensus on a standardized taxonomy and documentation framework for medication review (MR), enabling greater consistency in education, research, implementation, and quality assessment, while maintaining the adaptability necessary to accommodate diverse clinical contexts and individual patient needs.
5. a) How do community pharmacists communicate with prescribers? A European mapping and consensus workshop b) Adaptation of the Person-Centred Care Communication Competency Self-Assessment Tool for international use
a) Workshop Facilitators: Lena Klarén, PhD student, Ass.Prof. Elin Lehnbom; Prof. Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong,University of Uppsala, Sweden
The workshop aims to:
1.Map current practices for pharmacist–prescriber communication across European countries.
2.Identify key barriers and facilitators influencing such communication in community pharmacy practice.
3.Explore differences in documentation practices and communication channels (e.g. phone, digital systems).
4.Develop consensus-based recommendations for improving communication processes and systems.
Activities during the workshop
This 6-hour interactive workshop will combine data sharing, collaborative mapping, and structured co-creation.
1.Introduction and framing
Presentation of preliminary Swedish pilot data on pharmacist–prescriber communication to stimulate discussion.
2.Country mapping exercise
Participants will work in small groups to document current practices in their respective countries using a structured template (e.g. reasons for contact, communication methods, accessibility of prescribers, documentation systems). Data will be aggregated to create a European overview.
3.Barriers and facilitators analysis
Through facilitated group discussions, participants will identify and prioritise key factors influencing communication, including organisational, technological, and regulatory aspects.
4.Co-creation of an ideal model
Participants will collaboratively define characteristics of an optimal system for pharmacist–prescriber communication, including recommendations for documentation and digital integration.
5.Consensus-building and recommendations
Using structured techniques, participants will develop a set of practical recommendations for improving communication.
6.Manuscript development session
The final session will focus on outlining a joint publication, defining authorship groups, and allocating responsibilities for drafting sections based on workshop outputs.
b) Workshop facilitators: Dr Dejan Sencanski, University of Western Australia; Dr Ivana Tadic, University of Innsbruck , Austria
Aim: To adapt and prepare the Pharmacy Person-Centred Communication Competency (PPCCI) tool for application in international contexts
Learning objectives and workshop outcomes:
– To introduce concepts of person-centred care and emotional intelligence
– To present the key characteristics of the PPCCI tool
– To discuss the structure of the PPCCI tool
– To adjust and develop the PPCCI tool for international application
Activities in the workshop:
– Introduction to the concepts of person-centred pharmaceutical care, emotional intelligence, and the PPCCI tool
– First-hand experiences: The potential application of the PPCCI tool will be demonstrated through video-recorded simulated pharmacist-patient interactions
– Group work utilising the Nominal Group Technique to adjust and develop the PPCCI tool for international use
– Discussion of methodologies for international validation of the PPCCI tool and guidelines for translation
Wednesday, 10th February 2027
from 9.00
Registration
10.00-12.00
WG meetings – OPEN FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS (WG tbd)
12.00-13.00
Lunch
13.00- 13.15
Welcome and opening
13.15-14.00 Foppe van Mill Memorial lecture: “Beyond Effectiveness: Implementing Complex Interventions at Scale” Speaker Prof. Derek Stewart, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
14.00-16.00
Workshops (1st part)
16.00-16.30
Break and free poster viewing
16.30-17.30
Poster walk session I
17.30-18.30
Oral Communication I
18.30 –21.00
New members welcome!
Thursday, 11th February 2027
9.00-9.45
Creativity and Innovation in Healthcare Transformation – Design Thinking as a viable Approach in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Age Speaker: Dr. Joseph Maloba Makhoka
9.45-10.00
Break
10.00-12.00
Workshops (2nd part, continued)
12.00-13.00
Lunch
13.00-15.00
Workshops (3rd part, continued)
15.00-15.30
Break
15.30-16.30
Poster walk session II (including poster evaluation)
16.30-17.30
Soapbox (members only)
17.30-20.00
PCNE General Assembly (members only)
Friday, 12th February 2027
9.00-9.45
Translating research into community pharmacy care – Speaker: Prof. Hanna Seidling, University of Heidelberg, Germany
9.45-10.00
Break
10.00-12.00
Workshops (4th part, continued)
12.00-13.00
Lunch
13.00-16.00
Workshops (5th part, continued)
16.00-16.45
Group Photo and Break outside
16.45-17.45
Oral Communication II
19.00-22.00
Network Event at Elbe1 (external location)
Saturday, 13th February 2027
9.00-9.45
An Ethical Perspective on Pharmaceutical Care
Rainer Heide, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
9.45-10.00
Break
10.00-11.00
Workshops (6th part, continued)
11.00-11.15
Break
11.15-12.30
Reports, Awards and Closing
12.30-13.00
Lunch (lunch box)
Wednesday 10th February 2025 at 17:30 – 18:30
Chair: tbd
17:30 – tbd
17:45 – tdb
18:00 – tbd
18:15 – tbd
Friday 12th February 2027 at 16:45 – 17:45
Chair: tbd
16:30 -tbd
16:45 – tbd
17:00 – tbd
17:15 – tbd