Probing pharmacists' interventions in Long-Term Care: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Geriatric Pharmacy
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Long-Term Care (LTC) systems are evolving due to demographic shifts like population aging and changing healthcare demands.
• Pharmacists are transitioning from traditional roles to more patient-centered services within healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and evaluate pharmacist-led interventions in institutional Long-Term Care settings.
• To map the scope of pharmaceutical activities and relevant medications within LTC.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
• Searches conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge databases using predefined keywords.
• Quality assessment of included studies using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies.

Main Results:

• Twenty-six studies met inclusion criteria, focusing on pharmacist interventions in LTC.
• Key interventions included Medication Management Reviews, antibiotic stewardship, and new pharmaceutical care models.
• Six studies were rated as 'Strong' quality, indicating robust findings.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacists play a diverse and valuable role across various aspects of institutional Long-Term Care.
• Despite varying study quality, the findings support the broad implementation of pharmaceutical services to optimize medication use in LTC.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial for effective care in complex LTC environments.