The effects of community pharmacy public health interventions on population health and health inequalities: a systematic review of reviews protocol

Abstract

BackgroundCommunity pharmacies have great potential to deliver services aimed at promoting health and preventing disease, and are embedded within communities. In the light of a rapid increase in community pharmacy-delivered public health services and an accompanying increase in the evidence base, this systematic review of reviews will synthesise systematic reviews of public health community pharmacy interventions and assess their effects on public health and health inequalities.Methods/designSystematic review methodology will be used to identify all systematic reviews that describe the health and health equity effects of community pharmacy public health interventions. Twenty databases will be searched using a pre-determined search strategy to evaluate community pharmacy-delivered public health interventions. Findings from the included reviews will be pooled, and a narrative synthesis executed to identify overarching patterns and results.DiscussionFindings will support future decision-making around how community pharmacy public health services can be used alongside other strategies to promote health, prevent disease and reduce health inequalities.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO registration number: CRD42017056264.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13643-017-0573-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Relationship between Customers and Community Pharmacies during the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic: A Survey from Italy

“…In this context, two levels of analysis were important: feeling and opinion. At the first level, the survey dealt with a pharmacy, and, hence, a pharmacist: this is viewed with greater recognition and appreciation for expressing humanity under difficult circumstances: terms such as empathy and helpfulness emerged in describing the behaviour of this figure during the pandemic, especially in light of the sense of disorientation exacerbated by the difficulty in gaining access to healthcare professionals and health centres, unlike community pharmacies [ 9 , 10 ]. Turning to the term opinion: on one hand, the research confirmed the perception that the pharmacy was an irreplaceable institution whose presence represented then, and now, as a reference point for members of the public who experienced difficulties in accessing healthcare structures; on the other hand, respondents expressed a desire for greater cooperation between pharmacists and family doctors, which is strictly limited by current legislation in Italy [ 19 ].…”

“…This is where community pharmacies come into their own: not only safeguarding public health but, moreover, taking over the care of patients and participating actively in reducing health disparity [ 9 , 10 ].…”

“…Therefore, this is not only a pandemic, but a syndemic in that the virulence of the virus increases the prevalence of cases of non-transmissible diseases in the area in which it spreads [8]. This is where community pharmacies come into their own: not only safeguarding public health but, moreover, taking over the care of patients and participating actively in reducing health disparity [9,10].…”

The patient experience in a community pharmacy mental illness and addictions program

“…Moving forward and based on the positive experiences of participants with lived experience of mental illness and addictions in the Bloom Program, it will be important to evaluate pharmacy practice interventions from a lens of reducing inequalities and inequities. A recently published systematic review protocol by Hillier-Brown et al, 15 regarding community pharmacy public health interventions’ effects on population health and health inequalities, highlights an important step in this direction. In their methods, PROGRESS-Plus criteria are used in which PROGRESS refers to place of residence, race/ethnicity/culture/language, occupation, gender/ sex, religion, education, socioeconomic status and social capital, and “Plus” is in reference to personal characteristics associated with discrimination (e.g., age, disability), features of relationships (e.g., excluded from school) and time-dependent relationships (e.g., leaving the hospital).…”

“…In their methods, PROGRESS-Plus criteria are used in which PROGRESS refers to place of residence, race/ ethnicity/culture/language, occupation, gender/ sex, religion, education, socioeconomic status and social capital, and "Plus" is in reference to personal characteristics associated with discrimination (e.g., age, disability), features of relationships (e.g., excluded from school) and time-dependent relationships (e.g., leaving the hospital). 15,16…”