Interventions to Expand Community Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice and Public Health
• Healthcare Services Research

Background:

• Community pharmacists' roles have expanded beyond dispensing medications.
• Interventions aim to broaden the scope of practice within community pharmacy settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe interventions expanding community pharmacists' scope of practice.
• To assess the effectiveness of these expanded roles.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from 2013-2024.
• Adherence to Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews.
• Thematic mapping of RCTs to medication management, collaborative care, and medication adherence.

Main Results:

• Twelve studies indicated potential for expanded community pharmacist roles.
• Two RCTs showed no significant intervention effect.
• One RCT demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in controlled asthma in patients.

Conclusions:

• Expanded community pharmacist scope of practice may improve patient outcomes.
• Potential for reduced healthcare system burden and increased productivity.
• Synthesized findings from peer-reviewed RCT studies on pharmacist interventions.