Matej Štuhec

I have always been committed to demonstrating the importance of clinical pharmacists for the healthcare system, patients and other healthcare professionals. I am particularly motivated to conduct clinically relevant research with a direct impact on patient care. My research questions consistently arise from everyday practice—from my work in the hospital and ambulatory settings, where I am also clinically active. This close connection between practice and research strongly motivates me to continuously improve patient care.

Professor Matej Štuhec, PhD, PharmD, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, and the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana. In parallel, he works as a specialist clinical pharmacist consultant and serves as the Head of Pharmacy at Ormož Psychiatric Hospital, Slovenia, while also acting as a consultant pharmacist in primary care settings in Ormož.

His research focuses on real-world clinical and hospital pharmacy, clinical pharmacy reimbursement models, polypharmacy, psychiatry and psychopharmacology. Professor Štuhec is internationally recognized for his contributions to clinical pharmacy research. He is an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Psychiatry and the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, and is actively engaged in professional societies, including the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) and the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP). He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Section of Psychopharmacology at the European Psychiatric Association and has been a frequent speaker at European congresses, workshops, and plenary lectures at the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy conferences from 2021 to 2025, as well as at previous congresses of the European Psychiatric Association.

Over the past decade, Professor Štuhec has played a pivotal role in advancing clinical pharmacy practice in Slovenia. He was centrally involved in the development of the pilot project “A Model of Collaboration between Pharmacists and General Practitioners in Slovenia – from Research to New Services,” which was successfully transformed into a nationally reimbursed healthcare service. This was followed by the Seamless Care project, which has also been implemented and reimbursed nationwide. In addition, he contributed significantly to key legislative changes, including the Pharmacy Act (2017) and the Sub-Act for Hospital Pharmacy (2018), where medication review, pharmaceutical care, seamless care and the integration of pharmacists into healthcare teams were formally defined as core pharmaceutical services.

Advancing pharmacist prescribing in primary care

This research represents the first nationally supported study to include pharmacists as prescribers outside English-speaking countries and the first such study in primary care in Europe outside the United Kingdom. Conducted as a six-month prospective, non-randomized interventional pilot study in Slovenian primary care, the project investigated the impact of prescribing by clinical pharmacists working under Collaborative Practice Agreements with general practitioners in ambulatory settings (general practice). This research was conducted by a joint research team from clinical pharmacy and family medicine and was led by Prof. Štuhec.

Within this model of dependent prescribing, clinical pharmacists evaluated patient medications, conducted medication reviews, prescribed or modified therapies in collaboration with general practitioners and monitored patients throughout the study period. The study included 119 patients with a mean age of 72 years and demonstrated substantial improvements in clinical, humanistic and process-related outcomes. Adherence to treatment guidelines improved dramatically from 29.8% to 90.9%, while the proportion of prescriptions achieving predefined clinical outcomes increased from 6.4% to 70.8%. Importantly, 91% of pharmacist-generated prescriptions were accepted by general practitioners, with approximately one quarter involving deprescribing.

From the patient perspective, quality of life improved significantly, with EQ-5D visual analogue scale scores increasing from 63.6 to 71.4, corresponding to a measurable gain in quality-adjusted life years. The study further showed that collaboration between general practitioners and pharmacist prescribers leads to better management of chronic pharmacotherapy, improved compliance and safer prescribing practices.

Beyond its clinical findings, the study holds strong implementation value. It demonstrates that pharmacist prescribing is a scalable and effective model, particularly relevant for Central and South-Eastern Europe, where clinical pharmacy practice is still developing. As part of the project, ten disease-specific protocols for common chronic conditions were developed alongside a collaborative practice agreement, providing a practical framework for broader adoption. Based on these findings, recommendations for the development and implementation of clinical pharmacist prescriber training within the Slovenian healthcare system were formulated, marking an important milestone in the evolution of clinical pharmacy practice in the region.

Commitment to clinically relevant research

Professor Stuhec’s interest in pharmacy began with a fascination for chemistry and biology and was shaped by the multidisciplinary nature of pharmacy as a profession. After completing his master’s degree, he began his career as a hospital pharmacist and later specialized in clinical pharmacy. Over time, he developed a clear vision for the role of pharmacist prescribers in Slovenia, a concept that has now moved close to national implementation. Based on this research, in December 2025, the Health Council at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia (Slovenian: Zdravstveni svet) recommended the implementation of clinical pharmacist prescribers in ambulatory settings in the Slovenian healthcare system to the Ministry of Health of the Republic in Slovenia, which means that this study has direct practical implementation.

His research philosophy is firmly rooted in everyday clinical practice. Research questions arise directly from his work in hospital and ambulatory settings, ensuring that scientific efforts remain closely aligned with patient needs. Although combining clinical work and research is demanding, the successful translation of research into reimbursed services, legislative change and improved patient outcomes continues to be a strong source of motivation.

Outside of his professional life, Professor Štuhec enjoys travelling, spending time with friends and family and playing cards and basketball. He has a particular fondness for Greece, Portugal, Budapest, and Madeira, as well as cities across the former Yugoslavia, where he sees significant potential for the further development of clinical pharmacy services. He also follows healthcare policy closely, recognizing that the advancement of clinical pharmacy requires strong political and institutional support at national and international levels.

For Professor Stuhec, this recognition represents an important endorsement of clinical pharmacy practice in Slovenia and of the collective efforts of clinical pharmacists and general practitioners involved in the study. He hopes that the findings will support the continued development of pharmacist prescribing in Slovenia and inspire similar collaborative models internationally, contributing to safer, more effective and patient-centered healthcare systems.