Bridging the continuity: Practice-enhancing publications about the ambulatory care medication-use process in 2025

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Health Services Research
• Medication Safety

Background:

• The Medication-Use Process (MUP) is fundamental for safe medication use.
• Ambulatory care settings are increasingly important in healthcare delivery.
• The Ambulatory Care Medication-Use Process (ACMUP) encompasses critical stages of medication management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify, summarize, and prioritize literature published in 2025 relevant to the ACMUP.
• To assess the usefulness of evaluated articles for improving ambulatory pharmacy practice.
• To define the components of the ACMUP: transitions of care, prescribing, access, dispensing, adherence, and evaluating.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a PubMed search for the publication year 2025 using targeted MeSH keywords.
• Reviewed tables of contents of selected pharmacy journals.
• Identified and assessed articles evaluating at least one step of the ACMUP for practice improvement potential.

Main Results:

• A total of 5,758 articles were initially identified.
• 32 articles were deemed potentially practice-enhancing.
• These articles were distributed across ACMUP components: 6 (transitions of care), 8 (prescribing), 2 (access), 1 (dispensing), 7 (adherence), and 8 (evaluating).

Conclusions:

• Routine review of published literature is essential for incorporating significant findings into practice.
• This article continues an ongoing series evaluating the ACMUP literature.
• The ACMUP remains a crucial process to evaluate as healthcare delivery shifts to ambulatory settings.