About us

About us

HoPRU was established in May 2022 as a research unit under the Hospital Pharmacy at Hospital of Southern Jutland.

The current main area of research comprises clinical pharmacy, with a particular focus on optimizing medical treatment in close collaboration with clinical departments – especially during transitions between healthcare sectors. We are engaged in practice-oriented research on medicines – both for hospitalized patients and in the course of their discharge process.

A new area within HoPRU’s research is sustainability, where we focus on aspects of sustainability involving pharmaceuticals.

Our research areas encompass process and practice development of clinical pharmaceutical services at the departmental level, coordination during sector transitions, patient safety, and mapping of medicine-related trends through registry data. We are a small research group working with both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

HoPRU’s most important strategic priority is to ensure synergy between clinical practice and research.

Therefore, the research projects are inspired by challenges identified in the daily clinical work at the pharmacy and the clinical departments at the Hospital of Southern Jutland. At the same time, inspiration from research projects is implemented at the hospital pharmacy.

In addition to conducting research, HoPRU also contributes to the advancement of hospital pharmacy research nationally and internationally, as well as locally and regionally by participating in various committees and forums.

Our Mission and Vision

Vision
We aim to be an attractive international collaboration partner within hospital pharmacy.

Mission
We conduct practice-based research on the optimal and rational use of medicines in hospitals and across healthcare sectors, with a focus on the individual patient’s needs and preferences.

Strategic Areas

• Research training
• Medication reviews
• The vulnerable patient
• Medication waste and sustainability

International Collaboration

One of our primary goals is to strengthen international collaboration. In addition to membership of the Scientific Committee of the European Association for Hospital Pharmacists, we have initiated an international project in collaboration with researchers from the hospital pharmacy in Leuven, Belgium, and Maastricht, the Netherlands. The project concerns understanding and defining clinical pharmacy across Europe and is expected to be completed in 2026.

We are also involved in another international initiative, a COST project: “Addressing Adverse Drug Events Across the Continuum of Care: IPD meta-analysis & pooled dataset creation of patient characteristics & clinically adjudicated adverse drug events”. The aim of the COST project is to conduct an individual patient data meta-analysis of clinically assessed adverse drug reactions, create a combined dataset of patient characteristics and adverse reactions from relevant studies, and use the dataset to reduce the occurrence of such events.

In 2024, we further strengthened our collaboration with the hospital pharmacy in Uppsala through international research stays for PhD students, and initiated manuscript preparation on sustainability in cooperation with researchers from other European countries.

National Project Collaboration

HoPRU leads the national clinical pharmacy project: “Prescription of Medicines for Patients with Reduced Kidney Function”. Data collection across the country was completed in 2024, and the first two of four planned articles have now been published in international peer-reviewed journals.

PhD student Nathalie Fogh Rasmussen leads a PhD project on the use of registry data to examine sociodemographic inequality in the diagnostic work-up and treatment of patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease. The project is conducted in collaboration with Center Director Tine Jess from the national Danish National Research Foundation’s Center PREDICT (Center for Molecular Prediction of Inflammatory Bowel Disease), Professor Emeritus Anders Green from Steno Diabetes Center Odense, and Chief Physician Gunvor Iben Madsen from the Department of Clinical Pathology, Odense University Hospital, all of whom serve as co-supervisors for the PhD project.

Regional Collaboration

HoPRU has initiated a research collaboration between hospital pharmacies in the region, fostering knowledge exchange and identifying opportunities for joint initiatives.

Furthermore, we contribute to the supervision of pharmacy students in collaboration with, among others, the Department of Psychiatry in the Region of Southern Denmark, Hospice Southern Jutland, and Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Southern Denmark.

Local and Cross-Sector Collaboration

HoPRU has launched projects exploring collaborative models with clinical departments at the Hospital of Southern Jutland and general practitioners, focusing on medication reviews, communication about medication across sectors, and prioritization of patients who will benefit most from these services. A pilot project has been completed at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, while a randomized controlled trial has been initiated in the Emergency Department.