The achievement of public health services in pharmacy practice: A literature review

Background: It is known that pharmacists are currently contributing to public health; however, the extent of this contribution as reported in the literature has not been examined. Investigating the ways that pharmacists are currently participating in public health is critical for the profession of pharmacy, pharmacy educators, and the public health community. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the reported contributions of pharmacy to each of the ten essential services of public health, and which of the five core competencies of public health were most frequently utilized in those contributions. Methods: A PubMed search was used to extract references that included both the words pharmacy and services in the title or abstract, and the words public health in any part of the document. A total of 247 references were extracted and categorized into the essential services and core competencies. Results: The essential services Inform, Educate, and Empower, and Link to/Provide Care were more frequently represented in the literature, and the core competency of Health Policy and Administration was most frequently utilized. Conclusion: To further contribute to and integrate their contributions within population health, pharmacists must consider ways to strategically contribute to the essential services of public health and seek to increase competency in public health.