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Effectiveness of pharmaceutical care interventions amid pharmacist role transformation in China: a meta-analysis
1Department of Education, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of pharmaceutical care delivered by Chinese pharmacists during their professional role transformation, including prescription review, medication counseling, prescription comment, and the value of pharmacist interventions in multidisciplinary team settings, with the aim of providing evidence-based support for advancing the transformation and optimizing service models of the pharmacy workforce in China.
Methods:
We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP from inception to April 2026. RCTs and NRSIs examining pharmacist-delivered pharmaceutical care in Chinese institutions were included. Risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane ROB and ROBINS-I. Meta-analyses used odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs.
Results:
Thirty-two studies (5 RCTs, 27 NRSIs) were included. Pharmacist interventions were associated with increased single-agent antimicrobial use (OR 3.13, 95%CI 2.49-3.92) and rational prescriptions (OR 2.97, 95%CI 2.30-3.85), and reduced combination therapy, irrational prescriptions (OR 0.22, 95%CI 0.17-0.28), as well as reduced irrational prescribing in intravenous admixture centers and outpatient settings (non-standard: OR 0.46, 95%CI 0.43-0.49; inappropriate: OR 0.51, 95%CI 0.42-0.62; exceptional: OR 0.26, 95%CI 0.08-0.84). Heterogeneity was substantial (I 2 0-96%), limiting precision.
Conclusion:
Pharmacist-led interventions are associated with improved prescribing process indicators in China. However, the evidence is limited by few RCTs, predominance of NRSIs with moderate/high bias, and high heterogeneity. Findings are exploratory and hypothesis-generating. High-quality RCTs with patient-centered outcomes are needed.
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