Emerging trends: the involvement of community pharmacists in the planning and execution of pharmaceutical policies and economics

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction The aim of this study was to analyze existing research on the involvement of community pharmacists in the planning and execution of pharmaceutical policies and economic strategies. Methods The researcher searched five scholarly databases: Medline, BioMed Central (BMC), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), ProQuest, and PubMed for the reviewed articles. The search and selection of the articles involved searching each of the databases using specific keywords and a combination of them to form phrases and the Boolean search string. The researcher adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in developing this study. Results From the original search, a total of 537 articles emerged from which 17 articles remained upon screening. Findings show that the community pharmacy role has expanded over the past years to enable pharmacists serve diverse roles, but there is a high lack of involvement of these stakeholders in the planning and execution of policies. The pharmaceutical and health-care sectors operate in a way that does not recognize nor engage community pharmacists sufficiently in the policy planning and execution. Conclusions Relevant stakeholders need to create an enabling and supportive environment for utilizing the abilities, knowledge, and skills of community pharmacists in policy planning and execution.