The community pharmacist as an independent prescriber: A scoping review

Background

Due to the shortage of professionals and the ever-increasing need for and demand for appointments, consultation with physicians is becoming increasingly difficult, and delays are increasing. To limit this issue, several countries have experimented with different models of independent prescribing through pharmacies.

Aim

This study aimed to analyze the contribution of independent prescribing by community pharmacists in primary care using a micro, meso, and macrolevel framework.

Method

This was a scoping review of 3 different databases: Medline, Scopus, and Embase. The search (all databases) was executed on May 14, 2024. To be selected for the review, articles needed to be published after 2000, written in English or French, and focused on independent prescribing by community pharmacists. The articles had to investigate the pharmacist-independent prescribing (PIP) efficacy, effectiveness, or efficiency. Only original research was included. The bibliographies of the included papers were reviewed for additional studies. The articles were imported into Covidence to perform the review.

Results

The search yielded 2802 articles, and 1062 remained after removing duplicates. Finally, 13 studies were included in the scoping review. As an independent prescriber, the community pharmacist can improve patient access to primary care, reducing treatment delays (microlevel). In addition, patient safety is maintained, and patients’ quality of life is increased. Giving the community pharmacist an extra role helps reduce the workload on physicians, and thus facilitates access to care (mesolevel). The PIP model seems to be cost-effective for society and avoid medical consultations (macrolevel).

Conclusion

This review highlights the potential value and relevance of pharmacist-independent prescribers. Minor ailment services were frequently described, but PIP has also been implemented for chronic conditions. The benefits to society are felt at all levels: micro, meso, and macro. Its effectiveness and efficacy have been established, but additional studies are needed, particularly on its efficiency.