1. The role of pharmacists has expanded beyond dispensing and packaging to include ensuring rational use of drugs, improving clinical outcomes, and promoting health status.
2. Twelve studies were identified that compared pharmacist-provided services versus usual care in low- and middle-income countries.
3. Pharmacist-provided services targeting patients resulted in small improvements in clinical outcomes, health service utilisation, quality of life, and medical expenses.
The article is generally reliable and trustworthy as it provides a comprehensive overview of the effect of pharmacist-provided non-dispensing services on patient outcomes, health service utilisation and costs in low- and middle-income countries. The authors have conducted an extensive search for relevant studies using multiple databases such as Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Scopus, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA). Furthermore, two authors independently reviewed studies for inclusion in the review while two review authors independently extracted data for each study.
However, there are some potential biases that should be noted when interpreting the results from this review. Firstly, all eligible studies were from middle income countries which may limit the generalisability of the findings to low income countries. Secondly, five studies did not adequately report numerical data for outcomes but instead reported qualitative statements about results which prevented an estimation of the effect size. Thirdly, no studies assessing the impact of pharmacist‐provided non‐dispensing services that targeted healthcare professionals reported health service utilisation or cost outcomes which limits conclusions that can be drawn regarding these interventions. Finally, there were no studies found which compared patient targeted services provided by pharmacists versus services provided by other healthcare professionals or untrained healthcare workers or healthcare professional targeted services provided by pharmacists versus services provided by other healthcare professionals or untrained health care workers which further limits conclusions that can be drawn regarding these interventions.