Tilburg University has appointed Jeroen Derijks as Professor of Patient-Driven Interdisciplinary Pharmaceutical Specialist Care, effective December 1, 2024. The chair focuses on optimally involving patients and stakeholders in healthcare innovations within pharmaceutical specialist care. The chair has been established by Jeroen Bosch Hospital and is affiliated with the Academic Workplace for Future-Proof Healthcare at Tranzo, the scientific center for healthcare and welfare at Tilburg University.
Pharmaceutical Specialist Care (FSZ) encompasses all medication-related care involving a medical specialist. Within FSZ, the consequences of the increasing and more complex healthcare demand are also being felt. The availability of care and staff capacity are under pressure, while the demand for personalized and patient-centered care is rising.
To make FSZ future-proof, it is crucial to better involve patients in the development of FSZ, and more scientific knowledge is needed on how to achieve this. Additionally, there has been limited research on how collaboration between different disciplines within FSZ can be optimized. Finally, more emphasis needs to be placed on outcomes that are relevant to patients and stakeholders, such as pharmacists, general practitioners, and nurses, in the scientific evaluation of healthcare innovations. Jeroen Derijks will address these issues in his new chair.
Jeroen Derijks on his appointment: "It is a challenge to provide every patient with appropriate FSZ within the current societal developments. Currently, pharmacists often organize care from their own perspective. However, when FSZ is developed, implemented, and evaluated in co-creation with the patient, other healthcare professionals, and stakeholders, the likelihood increases that care will better meet individual needs and that patients will receive appropriate FSZ. The best way to achieve this still needs to be researched, and there is a need for practical examples."
With this special chair, Tranzo, Tilburg University, and Jeroen Bosch Hospital further strengthen their existing structural collaboration. Connecting the medical domain with social sciences is essential for developing and evaluating innovative care models. Involving the perspectives of patients and stakeholders in the research of this chair is a valuable addition to the research and education at Tranzo, where scientists, healthcare professionals, and citizens collaborate in co-creation to address societal challenges.
