Community pharmacist patient care services: A systematic review of approaches used for implementation and evaluation

BackgroundStudies have identified the positive impact of community pharmacist patient care services. Identifying the most effective implementation strategies and performing robust research are critical to sustaining evidence-based patient care in this setting. This systematic review aimed to describe: (1) implementation strategies, and (2) dissemination and implementation (D&I) outcomes used to evaluate the implementation of patient care services in community pharmacies. MethodsPubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts were searched for articles that were: (1) written in English and published in 1985 or later, (2) described a peer-reviewed empirical study or practice experience implementing a patient care service in a community pharmacy, and (3) described the strategies used to implement and/or evaluate the implementation of the service. Two investigators reviewed the abstract, and full-text when necessary, of each article to assess eligibility. Data were extracted from each article by two investigators using a standardized form. Implementation strategies were categorized using the Expert Recommendations for Implementation Change (ERIC) study terminology. The D&I outcomes were classified using the Proctor and colleagues terminology. All data were summarized using descriptive statistics. ResultsTwo hundred and thirty-seven articles were included, 223 of which described at least one implementation strategy and 224 described at least one D&I outcome. "Train and educate stakeholders" and "engage consumer" were the most common and "provide interactive assistance" and "adapt and tailor to context" were the least commonly reported implementation strategies. Reach, acceptability, and adoption were the most common and fidelity and sustainability were the least commonly evaluated D&I outcomes. Most studies used quasi-experimental or observational designs. ConclusionsThis systematic review used published manuscripts to identify the breadth and depth of implementation and evaluation strategies being utilized in various community pharmacies. Findings suggest opportunities for further research and innovation via collaboration between pharmacists and implementation practitioners and researchers.