Does drug dispensing improve the health outcomes of patients attending community pharmacies? A systematic review

• Published in: BMC health services research Vol. 21; no. 1; p. 764
• Main Authors: Pizetta, Bárbara, Raggi, Lívia Gonçalves, Rocha, Kérilin Stancine Santos, Cerqueira-Santos, Sabrina, de Lyra-Jr, Divaldo Pereira, Dos Santos Júnior, Genival Araujo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 02.08.2021; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Content analysis; Counseling; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dispensing; Drug stores; Drug therapy; Drugs; Drugstores; Evidence-Based Practice; Health care policy; Health Outcomes; Health services; Humans; Intervention; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Outcomes Assessment; Patient outcomes; Patient satisfaction; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacies; Pharmacists; Prescription drugs; Quality of life; Services; Systematic review; Brazil; Dispensing; Evidence-Based Practice; Health Outcomes; Pharmacists; Counseling; Outcomes Assessment
• ISSN: 1472-6963; 1472-6963
• DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06770-0

Drug dispensing is a clinical pharmacy service that promotes access to medicines and their rational use. However, there is a lack of evidence for the impact of drug dispensing on patients' health outcomes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the influence of drug dispensing on the clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes of patients attending community pharmacies. A systematic literature search was performed in April 2021 using PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, LILACS, and Open Thesis. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full-text articles according to the eligibility criteria. Methodological quality was assessed using tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute, and the literature was synthesized narratively. We retrieved 3,685 articles and included nine studies that presented 13 different outcomes. Regarding the design, they were cross-sectional (n = 4), randomized clinical trials (n = 4), and quasi-experimental (n = 1). A positive influence of drug dispensing on health outcomes was demonstrated through six clinical, four humanistic and three economic outcomes. Eight studies (88,9 %) used intermediate outcomes. The assessment of methodological quality was characterized by a lack of clarity and/or lack of information in primary studies. Most articles included in this review reported a positive influence of drug dispensing performed by community pharmacists on patients' health outcomes. The findings of this study may be of interest to patients, pharmacists, decision makers, and healthcare systems, since they may contribute to evidence-based decision-making, strengthening the contribution of community pharmacists to health care. Registration: PROSPERO CRD42020191701 .