Pharmaceutical Care Services in Community Pharmacies: An Umbrella Review of Global Evidence with Insights from Polish and Spanish Practices.

BACKGROUND

Pharmaceutical care is currently being implemented in Polish community pharmacies, but remains unsupported by state funding, limiting its widespread adoption. In Spain pharmacists there provide a wide range of pharmaceutical care services.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the work is to understand how other countries, such as Spain, have approached pharmaceutical care, which may offer potential strategies. Given this constant evolution and the challenges they face, a comprehensive review of current pharmaceutical care practices is necessary.

METHODS

The study design was guided by Newman TV et al. Chosen review type was an umbrella review, which includes systematic reviews, narrative reviews, and meta-analyses concerning pharmacist-led interventions in the field of pharmaceutical care. Utilized PRISMA framework. Used the PubMed database, which includes MEDLINE-indexed articles. Search strategy initially identified 18,076 articles and abstracts. Articles were limited to English-language, free full-text systematic reviews or meta-analyses published between January 2019 and October 2024. The dataset was reduced to 3,016 articles. Ultimately, 13 articles were selected for final analysis.

RESULTS

Given the identified lack of funding and training gaps, Poland must address workforce shortages, strengthen interdisciplinary trust, and ensure proper remuneration for pharmacists. Drawing on Spain's experience, investing in pharmacist-led education and preventive services may significantly enhance care outcomes in community settings.

CONCLUSION

This review highlights key pharmaceutical services currently implemented in community pharmacies and identifies critical barriers that hinder their widespread adoption in Poland. The main tasks of pharmaceutical care are to reduce morbidity and mortality related to medications. These services are most often not provided due to the lack of additional remuneration for the pharmacist for their provision, which would serve as reimbursement for the cost of delivering these services. The results of this review will serve as a basis for developing future in-depth studies focused on the implementation and delivery of pharmaceutical care.