Clinical Services Provided by Pharmacists in Primary Health Care in Latin America: A Scoping Review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To map and characterise evidence on pharmacist-provided clinical services in primary health care in Latin America, including service types, practice settings, study designs, team integration, populations, outcomes, and equity-related dimensions. METHODS: This scoping review followed JBI methodological guidance and PRISMA-ScR. Bibliographic databases and grey literature sources were searched without language or publication date restrictions according to a prospectively registered protocol. Two reviewers independently screened records and charted data. Multiple classifications per study were permitted when applicable. Findings were synthesised descriptively and narratively. RESULTS: We included 134 studies from six countries, 107 of which were conducted in Brazil. Among 140 study-design classifications, randomised controlled trials (n = 26), cross-sectional studies (n = 23), mixed-methods studies (n = 21), and qualitative studies (n = 20) predominated. Among 137 study-setting classifications, primary health care units (n = 80) and community pharmacies linked to primary care (n = 29) were most frequent. The 168 study-service entries most commonly represented pharmacotherapeutic follow-up (n = 54), health education (n = 35), medication review (n = 20), and clinically oriented dispensing (n = 19); seven could not be clearly classified. Service, process, or management indicators accounted for 87 of 182 study-outcome classifications. Among 136 team-integration entries, referral-based (n = 54) and isolated (n = 35) models predominated. Only 26 studies reported an equity-related variable. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the mapped studies were conducted in Brazilian primary health care settings, with comparatively few studies from other Latin American countries. Future research should examine service integration, equity, economic outcomes, and sustainability across diverse health-system contexts in the region.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2026 · DOI ↗