1
|
El-Awaisi A, Al-Shaibi S, Al-Ansari R, Naseralallah L, Awaisu A. A systematic review on the impact of pharmacist-provided services on patients' health outcomes in Arab countries. J Clin Pharm Ther 2022; 47:879-896. [PMID: 35332557 DOI: 10.1111/jcpt.13633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE The pharmacist's role has evolved dramatically over the last few decades and shows considerable impact globally. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the nature and extent of studies evaluating the impact of pharmacist-provided services on clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes in different healthcare settings across the Arab world. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted using the following databases from their inception until June 2020: Cochrane, Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Reporting was done according to PRISMA guidelines, and the quality assessment utilized the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Thirty-five eligible studies were included in this review, the majority of which were randomized controlled trials (RCT) (n = 26) conducted in hospital settings (n = 26). Most of the studies involved patients with specific medical conditions (n = 29) and pharmacist's interventions involved mainly medication therapy management (n = 32), counselling and education (n = 29), and medication therapy recommendations (n = 12). Several studies showed a positive impact (i.e., a statistically and/or clinically significant difference in favour of pharmacist-provided care or intervention) of pharmacist-provided services on clinical (n = 28), humanistic (n = 6) and economic (n = 5) outcomes. Conversely, five studies showed neutral or mixed effect of pharmacist interventions on clinical and humanistic outcomes. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION The findings of this systematic review demonstrate a positive impact of pharmacist-provided services on clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes across diverse settings in the Arab world. Most of the included studies evaluated clinical outcomes and were from hospital setting. Directed approaches are needed to advance pharmacy practice across various healthcare settings in the Arab world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alla El-Awaisi
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Samaher Al-Shaibi
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Lina Naseralallah
- Pharmacy Department, Hamad Medical Cooperation, Doha, Qatar.,School of Pharmacy, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ahmed Awaisu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Weir NM, Preston K, Newham R, Bennie M. Development of a primary care pharmacy outcomes framework: An umbrella literature review. Res Social Adm Pharm 2021; 18:2757-2777. [PMID: 34353755 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An aging population and rising multi-morbidity has shifted healthcare provision from secondary to primary care. Pharmacy-led services have been introduced to support this. The development of an outcomes framework for these services would facilitate conclusions to be drawn on their effectiveness. OBJECTIVES To identify outcomes used to evaluate pharmacy-led medication therapy and disease management services within primary care settings to develop an outcomes framework for future studies. METHODS An umbrella literature review was conducted. MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library and PsycINFO were searched in June 2020 to identify relevant articles. Eligible reviews were those including studies published from 2010 onwards which reported on the outcomes of pharmacy-led medication therapy and disease management services within primary care, excluding community pharmacy settings. Data were extracted and a content analysis, guided by the ECHO model, stratified the outcomes into four areas: economic, clinical, humanistic and service. RESULTS Twenty-four reviews covering 52 unique studies were identified. Pharmacy-led services included: medication reviews (n=24, 46.2%), disease and therapy management (n=17, 32.7%), educational services (n=6, 11.5%), medicines reconciliation (n=3, 5.8%), and medication compliance support (n=1, 1.9%). Services were commonly targeted towards endocrine (n=23, 44.2%) or cardiovascular diseases (n=20, 38.5%). Outcomes most commonly explored were clinical (n=38, 73.1%) and service outcomes (n=37, 71.2%), followed by humanistic (n=23, 44.2%) and economic outcomes (n=13, 25.0%). Overall, 17 sub-categories of outcomes were identified; common sub-categories were: disease indicators [clinical]; medication use and healthcare utilisation [service]; adherence to medicines [humanistic]; and healthcare costs [economic]. CONCLUSIONS The findings informed the development of an outcomes framework to guide the evaluation of medication therapy and disease management services, and facilitate international standardised outcome measures within primary care pharmacy to be developed. This could help offer vital evidence on the effectiveness of these services to ensure the pharmacy workforce is working optimally to support primary care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie M Weir
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, Robertson Trust Wing, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0RE, United Kingdom.
| | - Kate Preston
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, Robertson Trust Wing, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0RE, United Kingdom.
| | - Rosemary Newham
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, Robertson Trust Wing, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0RE, United Kingdom.
| | - Marion Bennie
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, Robertson Trust Wing, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0RE, United Kingdom; Public Health Scotland, National Services Scotland, Gyle Square, 1 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9EB, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Role of pharmacist during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review. Res Social Adm Pharm 2021; 17:1799-1806. [PMID: 33317760 PMCID: PMC7334137 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Since the start of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in December 2019, pharmacists worldwide are playing a key role adopting innovative strategies to minimize the adverse impact of the pandemic. OBJECTIVES To identify and describe core services provided by the pharmacist during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS A literature search was performed in MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and LILACS for studies published between December 1st, 2019 and May 20th, 2020 without language restriction. Studies that reported services provided by pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. Two independent authors performed study selection and data extraction with a consensus process. The pharmacist's intervention identified in the included studies were described based on key domains in the DEPICT v.2. RESULTS A total of 1189 records were identified, of which 11 studies fully met the eligibility criteria. Most of them were conducted in the United States of America (n = 4) and China (n = 4). The most common type of publication were letters (n = 4) describing the workplace of the pharmacist in hospitals (n = 8). These findings showed the different roles of pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as disease prevention and infection control, adequate storage and drug supply, patient care and support for healthcare professionals. Pharmacists' interventions were mostly conducted for healthcare professionals and patients (n = 7), through one-to-one contact (n = 11), telephone (n = 6) or video conference (n = 5). The pharmacists' main responsibility was to provide drug information for healthcare professionals (n = 7) as well as patient counseling (n = 8). CONCLUSIONS A reasonable number of studies that described the role of the pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic were found. All studies reported actions taken by pharmacists, although without providing a satisfactory description. Thus, future research with more detailed description as well as an evaluation of the impact of pharmacist intervention is needed in order to guide future actions in this and/or other pandemic.
Collapse
|
4
|
Talukdar D, Jankie S, Pancholi SS, Chatterjee A, Kumar P, Gupta MM. Strategic Role and Challenges of Community Pharmacists in SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak. J Res Pharm Pract 2021; 10:1-9. [PMID: 34295846 PMCID: PMC8259598 DOI: 10.4103/jrpp.jrpp_20_131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This study highlights the importance of community pharmacists' strategic role in hindering the progression of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the community setting and innovative measures to protect themselves. This article focuses on the features, control, and prevention of COVID-19 and social awareness measures of the pandemic. The means employed by the community pharmacist to safeguard his health while providing pharmaceutical services during COVID-19 is compiled and presented to benefit health-care professionals around the world. As per the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, community pharmacists play a crucial role in providing essential drugs to patients without knowing their current COVID-19 status. They also work in conditions that make them susceptible to COVID-19 exposure. Despite the availability of guidelines, community pharmacists need to be trained in personal protective equipment for efficient protection and prevention of spread. Community pharmacists are essential frontline warriors against transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the community and act as frontline workers to educate the public on COVID-19. They are at high risk and need to observe necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Debjyoti Talukdar
- College of Pharmacy, Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Satish Jankie
- School of Pharmacy, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies
| | | | - Arindam Chatterjee
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Parveen Kumar
- Shri Ram College of Pharmacy, Karnal, Haryana, India
| | - Madan Mohan Gupta
- School of Pharmacy, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lertxundi Etxebarria U, Palacios-Zabalza I, Ibarrondo I, Domingo-Echaburu S, Hernandez R, Isla A, Solinis M. Pharmacotherapeutic management of Parkinson's disease inpatients: how about asking hospital pharmacists? Eur J Hosp Pharm 2020; 28:e140-e145. [PMID: 33355236 DOI: 10.1136/ejhpharm-2020-002461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered to be the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world. Patients with PD are hospitalised more frequently, have longer admissions and experience more complications during hospitalisation than age-matched control groups. The incorrect timing of levodopa administration and prescription of contraindicated antidopaminergic drugs are the most important risk factors for motor function deterioration during hospital admission, and have been associated with longer hospital stays and even increased mortality. Despite their crucial role in pharmacotherapy, little attention has been paid to the perspective of hospital pharmacists. The objective of this study was to identify key issues in the pharmacotherapeutic management of inpatients with PD by the implementation of a national Spanish survey specifically designed to analyse the perspective of hospital pharmacists. METHODS An internet-based questionnaire covering the following areas was designed: hospital and participant characteristics, drug formulary, medication compliance and reconciliation, protocols and contraindicated drugs and areas for improvement. RESULTS A total of 76 pharmacists from 59 hospitals answered the survey. Some weaknesses were identified in the availability of drugs: (1) pharmacy services closed at certain times (86.4%); (2) low variety of antiparkinsonian drugs (18.4% store >21 different drugs); (3) delay in antiparkinsonian drug administration if unavailable (>12 hours in 39.5% of cases); (4) lack of flexibility in administration times; (5) low availability of transdermal rotigotine and subcutaneous apomorphine (<50%). The participants ranked highly the designing of specific protocols for patients with PD and implementation of concrete actions to optimise PD inpatient pharmacotherapy. CONCLUSIONS The participants detected some improvement opportunities and proposed realistic and applicable recommendations and strategies aiming to enhance the safety of patients with PD. Protocols for antiparkinsonian drug interchange, administration timing and nil by mouth status, medication reconciliation, and handling nausea/vomiting or psychotic symptoms are considered the main improvement areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Unax Lertxundi Etxebarria
- Bioaraba Health Research Institute; Osakidetza Basque Health Service, Araba Mental Health Network, Araba Psychiatric Hospital, Pharmacy Service, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Itziar Palacios-Zabalza
- Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Pharmacotherapy: Effective, safe and rational use of drugs research group, Osakidetza, Bizkaia, Spain.,Pharmacy Service, Barrualde Integrated Health Organization, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Itziar Ibarrondo
- Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Pharmacotherapy: Effective, safe and rational use of drugs research group, Osakidetza, Bizkaia, Spain.,Pharmacy Service, Barrualde Integrated Health Organization, Bizkaia, Spain
| | | | - Rafael Hernandez
- Internal Medicine Service, Araba Mental Health Network, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Arantxa Isla
- Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Marian Solinis
- Pharmacokinetic, Nanotechnology and Gene Therapy Group (PharmaNanoGene), Faculty of Pharmacy, Centro de investigación Lascaray ikergunea, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ahmed Abousheishaa A, Hatim Sulaiman A, Zaman Huri H, Zaini S, Adha Othman N, bin Aladdin Z, Chong Guan N. Global Scope of Hospital Pharmacy Practice: A Scoping Review. Healthcare (Basel) 2020; 8:healthcare8020143. [PMID: 32466229 PMCID: PMC7349332 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare8020143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The pharmacy profession has undergone tremendous changes over the past few decades. Pharmacists’ roles have expanded their boundaries to encompass more patient-centered services. However, the degree to which these roles are practised may vary. This scoping review is aimed at describing the extent and range of the professional pharmacy services offered in hospital pharmacies across different countries and the barriers underlying inappropriate or incomplete implementation of these services. Studies published in the English language between 2015 and 2019 were retrieved from the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, EBSCO Discovery Service, and Web of Science. A thematic analysis across the included studies produced two main themes. “Scope of practice” comprised three subthemes: pharmaceutical care practice, clinical pharmacy practice, and public health services and “Multiple levels of influence” comprised five subthemes: individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and public policy-related factors. The hospital pharmacy services across countries ranged from traditional drug-centered pharmacy practice to a more progressive, clinically oriented practice. In some countries, there is an apparent inadequacy in the clinical pharmacy services provided compared to other clinical settings. Understanding the current pharmacy practice culture across different health care systems is an essential step towards improving the profession.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aya Ahmed Abousheishaa
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; (A.H.S.); (N.C.G.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +60-11-3734-1871
| | - Ahmad Hatim Sulaiman
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; (A.H.S.); (N.C.G.)
| | - Hasniza Zaman Huri
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;
| | - Syahrir Zaini
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan 25710, Malaysia;
| | - Nurul Adha Othman
- Pharmacy Department, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Sungai Buloh, Selangor 47000, Malaysia;
| | - Zulhilmi bin Aladdin
- Unit Farmasi, Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Tanjung Rambutan, Perak 31250, Malaysia;
| | - Ng Chong Guan
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; (A.H.S.); (N.C.G.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Assessing Pharmacists' Preferences towards Efficacy Attributes of Disease-Modifying Therapies in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. PHARMACY 2020; 8:pharmacy8020061. [PMID: 32272683 PMCID: PMC7356901 DOI: 10.3390/pharmacy8020061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Hospital pharmacists are increasingly playing a critical role in the care of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, little is known about their preferences and perspectives towards different attributes of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). The objective of this research was to assess pharmacists´ preferences for DMT efficacy attributes. Methods: A multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional, web-based study was conducted. Preventing relapses, delaying disease progression, controlling radiological activity, and preserving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cognition were the attributes selected based on a literature review and a focus group with six hospital pharmacists. Conjoint analysis was used to determine preferences in eight hypothetical treatment scenarios, combining different levels of each attribute and ranking them from most to least preferred. Results: Sixty-five hospital pharmacists completed the study (mean age: 43.5 ± 7.8 years, 63.1% female, mean years of professional experience: 16.1 ± 7.4 years). Participants placed the greatest preference on delaying disease progression (35.7%) and preserving HRQoL (21.6%) and cognition (21.6%). Importance was consistent in all groups of pharmacists stratified according to demographic characteristics, experience, research background, and volume of patients seen per year. Conclusions: Understanding which treatment characteristics are meaningful to hospital pharmacists may help to enhance their synergistic role in the multidisciplinary management of patients with MS.
Collapse
|
8
|
Terzaghi MA, Ruiz C, Martínez-López I, Pérez-Encinas M, Bakdache F, Maurino J, Saposnik G. Factors associated with therapeutic inertia among pharmacists caring for people with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2019; 39:101887. [PMID: 31846865 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2019.101887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pharmacists play a critical role on therapeutic decisions in multiple sclerosis (MS) care. Therapeutic inertia (TI) is defined as the lack of treatment initiation or escalation when there was evidence of clinical and radiological disease activity. The aim of this study was to assess factors associated with TI among pharmacists involved in MS care. METHODS A multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional study involving hospital pharmacists in Spain was conducted. Participants answered questions regarding their standard practice, risk preferences, and management of nine simulated MS case-scenarios. We created a score defined as the number of case-scenarios that fit the TI criteria over the total number of presented cases (score range from 0-6). Similarly, an optimal treatment score (OTS) was created to determine the degree of appropriate pharmacological decisions (ranging from 0-lowest to 9-highest). Candidate predictors of TI included demographic data, practice setting, years of practice, MS expertise, number of MS patients managed at hospital/year, participation in MS clinical trials, and participants' risk preferences. RESULTS Overall, 65 pharmacists initiated and completed the study (response rate: 45.5%). The mean age was 43.5 ± 7.8 years and 67.1% were female. Forty-two (64.6%) participants had specialization in MS management. Overall, the mean TI score was 3.4 ± 1.1. Of 390 individual responses, 224 (57.4%) met the TI criteria. All participants failed to recommend treatment escalation in at least one of the six case-scenarios. The mean OTS was 4.1 ± 1.4. Of 585 individual responses, 264 (45.1%) met the optimal choice criteria. Only 40% of participants (23/65) made five or more optimal treatment choices. Lower experience in dispensing MS drugs and lack of specialization in MS were the most common factors associated with TI and optimal management. The multivariable analysis revealed that more years of experience (p = 0.03), being a co-author of a peer-reviewed publication (p = 0.03), and specialization in MS (p = 0.017) were associated with lower TI scores (adjusted R2 = 0.23). CONCLUSION Therapeutic inertia was observed in all pharmacist participants, affecting over fifty percent of MS treatment choices. Continuing education and specialization in MS may facilitate therapeutic decisions in MS care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Terzaghi
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Cedrik Ruiz
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Iciar Martínez-López
- Department of Pharmacy, Hospital Universitari Son Espases, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | | | - Fabien Bakdache
- Medical Affairs, Neuroscience, Hoffmann-La Roche Limited, Mississauga, Canada
| | | | - Gustavo Saposnik
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada; Decision Neuroscience Unit, Li Ka Shing Institute, University of Toronto, Canada; Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Sakeena MHF, Bennett AA, McLachlan AJ. The Need to Strengthen the Role of the Pharmacist in Sri Lanka: Perspectives. PHARMACY 2019; 7:E54. [PMID: 31195755 PMCID: PMC6631506 DOI: 10.3390/pharmacy7020054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of the pharmacist in healthcare has evolved greatly over the last half-century, from dispensing to providing direct patient-oriented activities not associated with dispensing. However, pharmacist-led healthcare services in Sri Lanka must undergo reform to fully take advantage of their expertise and training in medicine management and related outcomes in Sri Lankan patients. As befits a profession's role development and value, professional and educational standards for pharmacists need ongoing development and growth. Currently, university curricula and continuing professional education in Sri Lanka require further development and optimisation to provide the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills regarding quality use of medicines and patient-oriented care. Furthermore, pharmacists' roles in Sri Lankan hospital and community pharmacist settings need to be recognised and should include the pharmacist as an integral part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team in Sri Lanka. Studies from developed countries and some developing countries have demonstrated that expanded pharmacists' roles have had a significant positive cost-effective impact on the population's health. Therefore, the availability of qualified Sri Lankan pharmacists trained to deliver expanded professional services accompanied by greater pharmacist integration into healthcare delivery is crucially important to ensure quality use of medicines within the Sri Lankan healthcare system and optimise the medication-related needs of Sri Lankans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M H F Sakeena
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya KY 20400, Sri Lanka.
- Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
| | | | - Andrew J McLachlan
- Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|