Evolving Role in Pharmacists Pakistan’s Ambulatory Care Settings: Innovations and Opportunities

Abstract

The ambulatory care practice is experiencing a dramatic shift worldwide, and pharmacists are being considered as key players in the provision of direct patient care in ambulatory care. This transformation is still in its infancy in Pakistan however, due to regulatory, educational and systemic challenges. However, new academic initiatives, private health care systems and advocacy have begun to change the job profile of the pharmacist from a dispenser to one that is increasingly active, more involved in chronic disease management, more focused on medication therapy management and more engaged in health care stewardship. Therefore, a thorough review provides an overview of recent practices, assesses barriers and the role of ambulatory care involvement of the pharmacists in Pakistan and innovative pilot programs and sustainable incorporation of pharmacist’s strategic roadmap into ambulatory health care. However, international best practices, like United States, Canada and the GCC countries and contextualized in Pakistan's sociocultural and health system context, this article suggests that pharmacist-led ambulatory services are not only possible, but are essential to tackle increasing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) burden, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and fragmented delivery care in Pakistan. Finally, the paper provides policy recommendations for policy makers, teachers, health administrators, and professional organizations to help catalyze this change.

Keywords: Pharmacists, Ambulatory Care, health system, Pakistan, Innovations, Efficiency.