A Systematic Review of Pharmacists’ Role in COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons learned for a future pandemic

Background: The global pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) taught many lessons for the global healthcare system and being a healthcare team member, it is important for pharmacists to learn from the pandemic and prepare better for any future pandemics. Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to describe the key roles performed by pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic and arrive at a few recommendations for pharmacists to better prepare themselves to handle any future pandemics. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the appropriate methods and reputable electronic databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Also, Google Scholar and reviewing reference lists of other studies were used to capture any missing studies. Search terms were developed and combined with Boolean operators “AND” and “OR”. These search terms included COVID-19, coronavirus, pharmacists, pharmaceutical care, roles of pharmacists, and treatment of COVID-19. Studies published from 2019 to 2022, focusing only on COVID-19 and the roles of pharmacists, and reports from relevant nursing websites, including the World Health Organization, were included. Thematic analysis was used for theme development. With the use of this thematic method, relevant themes related to the study’s purposes were developed and used to address the research aims. Results: Results showed pharmacists play a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing education and counseling to people, including patients either in the community or hospital settings as a way to widen their skills and knowledge about the clinical symptoms of COVID-19, mode of transmission, and potential prevention measures. Further, it was found that pharmacists played a key role in providing masks and they ensure a stable supply of other personal protective equipment. In addition, pharmacists played an important role in providing pharmaceutical services, such as dispensing medications, improving access to the needed medications, and providing telemedicine for the effective management of COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. There were also contributions made by pharmacists to vaccination programs. Conclusion: Pharmacists demonstrated key roles during the COVID-19 pandemic and contributed to the continuum of care but with few clinical decision roles.