When it comes down to getting a better insight in all the actors and factors within a nation, having an influence on the theme of Medication Safety for an individual patient/consumer, a picture is helpfull.

GIMS created this one:

Alfa actors: health care practioners (doctors, pharmacists, nurses) and retail.

Beta actors: professional organisations of HCP’s, national health care institues (like NICE for the UK), health care software providers, pharmaceutical retail formulas, pharmaceutical wholesale, pharmacovigilance organisations.

Gamma actors: national medicines regulatory bodies, national inspectorate, ministeries of health, academia, patient & consumer organisations, pharmaceutical industry, insurance bodies and/or companies, international bodies like WHO, EMA, EFPIA, PGEU, Cochrane.

Delta factors: national medicines and healthcare legislation, culture, religion, economics, politics, stability and prosperity of a society.