J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2022 May-Jun;62(3):649-657. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.12.013. Epub 2021 Dec 24.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected the world health care system adversely, but it has also brought out innovative roles for health care professionals to cater to growing health care needs. Community pharmacists provide community pharmacy services and can play a vital role in fighting the pandemic by taking on novel roles that complement their pre-existing roles.
This study aimed to provide a scoping review of current and emerging literature about the novel roles adopted by community pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Online databases such as Google Scholar and PubMed were searched systematically using the keywords "COVID-19," "pharmacist," and "community." Articles were selected based on availability of full text in English language, with time limit from December 1, 2019, to October 31, 2021; case reports, cross-sectional studies, literature reviews, qualitative studies, and systematic reviews were included, whereas commentary reviews and editorials were excluded from the search methodology. An independent review of the articles was conducted for inclusion based on relatability to study subject; those chosen were screened for references to find additional gray literature. Findings were arranged in themes, and the results were organized accordingly.
Novel roles for community pharmacists were found in relation to maintenance of drug-supply chains, delivery of telepharmacy and telehealth services, provision of ambulatory pharmacy services, use of digital software to coordinate medication delivery for patients with chronic conditions, dispelling of misinformation, and roles in research and clinical trials. Roles in a post-COVID world regarding immunization of population and involvement in lifting lockdown strictures alongside other stakeholders were also explored.
Although COVID-19 has challenged the health care system, it has also provided an opportunity for development of novel and innovative roles that can ultimately have profound consequences for the health care system. Community pharmacists, despite facing multiple challenges in the community, should be facilitated to adapt with these new roles, which can be beneficial in achieving mass immunization and better health care in a post-COVID world.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）对世界卫生保健系统产生了不利影响，但也为医疗保健专业人员带来了创新角色，以满足不断增长的医疗保健需求。社区药剂师提供社区药房服务，并通过承担补充其现有角色的新角色，在抗击大流行方面发挥至关重要的作用。
本研究旨在对 COVID-19 大流行期间社区药剂师采用的新角色的现有和新兴文献进行范围综述。
系统地使用“COVID-19”、“药剂师”和“社区”等关键词在 Google Scholar 和 PubMed 等在线数据库中进行搜索。根据英语全文的可用性选择文章，时间限制为 2019 年 12 月 1 日至 2021 年 10 月 31 日；纳入病例报告、横断面研究、文献综述、定性研究和系统评价，而评论综述和社论则排除在搜索方法之外。根据与研究主题的相关性，对文章进行独立审查以进行纳入；选择的文章经过筛选以查找其他灰色文献。发现的结果按主题排列，并按顺序组织结果。
发现社区药剂师的新角色包括维持药品供应链、提供远程药学和远程医疗服务、提供门诊药房服务、使用数字软件为慢性病患者协调药物配送、消除错误信息以及在研究和临床试验中的角色。还探讨了 COVID-19 后世界中关于人群免疫接种和与其他利益相关者一起参与解除封锁限制的角色。
尽管 COVID-19 对卫生保健系统提出了挑战，但它也为发展新的和创新的角色提供了机会，这些角色最终可能对卫生保健系统产生深远影响。尽管社区药剂师在社区中面临多重挑战，但应促进他们适应这些新角色，这有助于在 COVID-19 后实现大规模免疫接种和更好的医疗保健。
