Effect of outpatient pharmacists' non-dispensing roles on patient outcomes and prescribing patterns

Abstract

BackgroundThe roles of pharmacists in patient care have expanded from the traditional tasks of dispensing medications and providing basic medication counseling to working with other health professionals and the public. Multiple reviews have evaluated the impact of pharmacist-provided patient care on health-related outcomes. Prior reviews have primarily focused on in-patient settings. This systematic review focuses on services provided by outpatient pharmacists in community or ambulatory care settings. This is an update of the Cochrane review published in 2000. ObjectivesTo examine the e ect of outpatient pharmacists' non-dispensing roles on patient and health professional outcomes. Search methodsThis review has been split into two phases. For Phase I, we searched the Cochrane E ective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group

Consumer Choice Between Common Generic and Brand Medicines in a Country with a Small Generic Market

“…Multiple studies have shown that medication reviews (which could include addressing confusion about medicine labels) by the pharmacist improve the clinical outcomes in patients. 38 Pharmaceutical care as a fairly new practice is still gaining acceptance as an integral part of health care. Lay expertise may influence this development as consumers continue to gain more knowledge through other nonprofessional sources.…”

Organização dos serviços farmacêuticos no Sistema Único de Saúde em regiões de saúde

“…This group of activities, articulated in the multi-professional and inter-sectorial actions, is also essential for ensuring access to quality medical drugs, and promotion of their appropriate use 8 . A systematic review 11 found that the majority of the studies included pointed to the importance of the action of pharmaceutical professionals in the management of therapy, in advising the patient and in training of health professionals in the improvement of the process of care and achievement of clinical results.…”

Preferences for the delivery of community pharmacy services to help manage chronic conditions

“…[7][8][9][10] Services that a pharmacist could potentially offer to help consumers and their carers effectively manage chronic conditions include medication reviews, education and information, safety monitoring through reporting adverse drug reactions or interactions or both, supporting compliance through dose administration aids, and liaising with a person's General Practitioner (GP) and other health providers as part of a care plan. 11 Perhaps more contentiously, in selected countries, pharmacists can also prescribe in a range of models across varying scopes of practice.…”