In April, ESCP welcomed participants from 19 countries to its international workshop ‘Advancing clinical pharmacy and care in diabetes and cardiovascular comorbidities’ in Antwerp (Belgium).

The program for the 2-day workshops had four plenary sessions.

  • Philip Newland-Jones discussed the future and forefront of type 2 diabetes management to optimize care and reduce future risk of complications.
  • Alia Gilani shared her experiences as senior diabetes clinical pharmacist working in a UK general practice setting within an area of high deprivation and diversity. Developing innovative services she managed to provide care to hard-to-reach groups.
  • Frederik Verbrugge provided an update in cardiovascular co-morbidities prevention with an extensive overview of must-read scientific papers underlining both preventive measures (smoking cessation, limit salt intake, …) as well as pharmacological and surgical treatment options.
  • Goos Laverman presented the Diabetes and Lifestyle Cohort Twente (DIALECT) as example of an integrated approach to reach treatment targets in persons with type 2 diabetes.

In the four workshops, participants discussed the following topics: safe use of injectables and devices in diabetes patients, lifestyle and personalized diabetes treatment in primary care, tackling inequalities in medication management and medication review and management of diabetes in patients with multimorbidity.

The integrated management including preventive and lifestyle measures as well as pharmacological and nutritional management focusing on all aspects of our (multimorbidity) patients is key.

Spring arrived just in time to create a nice atmosphere for walks both in lunch break as well as to welcome participants to the city hall of Antwerp for the reception. We were welcomed by the city with local beers and received a private guided tour of the city hall.

Thank you to all speakers and participants for sharing your knowledge and skills, for sharing your own work by presenting a poster/oral communication, for networking and for being in Antwerp! Hope to see you again at one of our future events.
Text: Siska Desplenter, President of ESCP Spring Workshop 2023. Photos: © Bart Heleven