First virtual ACCP a success

The 20^th Asian Conference on Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), hosted by Singapore in July,  was a resounding success.

The organizers put together the first virtual conference this year as the pandemic took a firm hold of global travel. However, this did not dampen the researchers’ resolve in sharing best pharmacy practices and knowledge. Over 200 abstracts were submitted this year and 180 were presented virtually, according to 20^th ACCP organizing committee chairpersons Mr Lai Yi Feng and Ms Chean Ning Wei, Tracy. The event had also attracted over 1,000 participants across Asia.

Different countries in Asia take turns hosting the ACCP, which brings together information and research advances for clinical pharmacists in the region. This year’s theme was “Pharmacy Beyond 2020: Changing Landscapes, Improving Lives”.

The 20^th ACCP was held for 4 days from July 1–4. The first two days focused on workshops with seven different topics. A virtual site visit to four hospitals and DCH Auriga, an Asian pharmaceutical distribution company, was conducted on the first day. The opening ceremony was on the second day and featured a medley of songs in 8 different languages by The Switch Gang that was truly heart-warming and reminding that all pharmacists are together during this difficult situation.

ACCP president Prof Kwon Kwang-il from Chungnam University, South Korea welcomed everyone to the symposium. He even expressed hopes that the event will help all clinical pharmacists in Asia to improve healthcare service through shared education and clinical practice experience.

The third and fourth days of the event comprised six plenary sessions, parallel symposia, virtual exhibition, and poster viewing. At the end of day 3, a social night was held via the Zoom platform. The organizing committee has done a great job in connecting pharmacists across countries in Asia.

The closing ceremony was highlighted by the announcement of three winners for the best poster presentation, three winners for the best oral presentation, and one winner for the best pharmacy technician.

Prof Kwon Kwang-il said an open access, peer-reviewed journal by the ACCP has also been planned and he encouraged Asian pharmacists to submit manuscripts about pharmaceutical care services, pharmacotherapy, clinical pharmacy education, clinical pharmacokinetics, and pharmacoepidemiology when the journal is launched.

Ms Yong Pei Chean, president of 115^th Council Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore, officially closed the 20^th ACCP by passing the baton to Dr Hiroyuki Kamei as the ACCP 2022 chairperson. ACCP 2022 is slated on February 11–14 in Meijo University Nagoya, Nagoya, Japan.

The theme for 2022 will be “The Next Stage of Clinical Pharmacy from Asia”.