A decree published in the Official Journal on April 4, organizes the automatic creation of a pharmaceutical file unless the beneficiary of the health insurance concerned objects.
This decree defines the content of the pharmaceutical file, the retention period of the information it contains, the procedures for its creation and possible closure, the procedures for exercising the beneficiary’s rights, in particular the right to oppose its creation and to request its termination. It also defines the conditions of use of the pharmaceutical file by health professionals, recalling that its consultation is done, for hospital pharmacists as for all authorized health professionals, in compliance with professional ethics.
The processing of this file is the responsibility of the National Council of the Order of Pharmacists.
The regulatory text also sets the retention period for information on the identification, characteristics and quantity of medicinal products and medical devices dispensed with or without a medical prescription filed in this file: five years for biological medicinal products; twenty-three when it comes to vaccines; three years for the other categories.
The pharmaceutical file is a computer file, created and consulted in particular by the pharmacist, with the patient’s agreement. It lists the drugs that have been delivered over the last 4 months, as well as the treatments and doses in progress. Medicines on file may have been prescribed by a physician or may have been purchased over the counter. The pharmacist can thus control any risks of contraindication and provide advice. It allows to :
- Secure the dispensing of drugs (doctor, pharmacist, hospital) by limiting the risks of drug interactions and redundant treatments.
- Ensure coordination between health professionals
- Promote the improvement of vaccination coverage.
The pharmaceutical record contains information regarding the patient and the drugs prescribed to him.
• Decree No. 2023-251 of April 3, 2023 relating to the pharmaceutical file, JORF n°0080 of April 4, 2023 Text No. 23.
