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Collaborative Practice: The Role of Research and Education in Shaping Modern Pharmacy Practice

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A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027 | Viewed by 23635

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Dr. Piotr Merks

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Guest Editor

Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: pharmaceutical care; adherence; pictograms; communication; medicine safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Katarina Fehir Šola

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Guest Editor Assistant

1. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, University Josip Juraj Strossmayer Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
2. Pharmacy Bjelovar, Petra Preradovića 4, 43000 Bjelovar, Croatia
Interests: pharmacy practice research; drug therapy problems; pictograms; adherence

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pharmaceutical practice is rapidly evolving from a traditional dispensing role to a more collaborative, patient-centered model. This Special Issue of Healthcare, titled "Collaborative Practice: The Role of Research and Education in Shaping Modern Pharmacy Practice", highlights the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork, rigorous research, and innovative education in shaping modern pharmacy. From interdisciplinary teamwork to evidence-based decision making, these elements are essential for improving patient care and strengthening the role of pharmacists in modern healthcare systems.

This Special Issue aims to explore how research and educational advancements drive improvements in pharmaceutical services, ultimately enhancing patient care and health system outcomes. We welcome original research articles and reviews covering topics including the following:

How interdisciplinary collaboration enhances pharmaceutical services;
The impact of pharmaceutical education on patient care and healthcare systems;
Research-driven innovations in pharmaceutical practice;
Policy and regulatory perspectives on collaborative pharmaceutical models;
The role of digital technologies in pharmacist-led education and healthcare.

We warmly invite researchers, educators, and healthcare professionals to contribute original research articles or review papers to this Special Issue, containing insights which will help define the future of pharmaceutical practice. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Piotr Merks
Guest Editor

Dr. Katarina Fehir Šola
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

collaborative pharmaceutical practice
interdisciplinary healthcare
pharmacy education
evidence-based pharmacy
pharmaceutical research
clinical pharmacy services
healthcare innovation
pharmaceutical policy and regulation
digital health in pharmacy
pharmacists’ professional development

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 320 KB

Open AccessArticle

Collaborative Practice in Oral Nutritional Supplement Provision: The Critical Role of Pharmacists in the Patient Journey

by Željko Krznarić, Darija Vranešić Bender, Dina Ljubas Kelečić, Nikica Daraboš, Ivan Radoš and Ana Soldo

Healthcare 2026, 14(12), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14121673 - 12 Jun 2026

Viewed by 126

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Disease-related malnutrition affects millions of patients worldwide. Nutrition support therapy (NST), namely oral nutritional supplements (ONSs), serve as a cornerstone therapeutic intervention. However, treatment effectiveness depends not only on an appropriate prescription but also on patient acceptance and adherence. This study evaluates the provision pathway of ONSs within a co-payment healthcare system, focusing on patient acceptance patterns, barriers to adherence, and the critical yet underexplored role of pharmacist–patient interactions in determining treatment outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted across 100 Croatian community pharmacies during September–October 2025. Pharmacists prospectively documented 973 patient encounters involving ONS prescriptions requiring co-payment using real-time patient record forms. Data captured patient demographics, diagnoses, prescription patterns, prior knowledge of co-payment requirements, acceptance responses, and pharmacist-assessed reasons for refusal. Results: While 65% of all patients knew about co-payment requirements in advance, 51% of first-time users arrived uninformed, leading to dramatically different acceptance patterns (93% immediate acceptance when informed versus 33% when uninformed, p < 0.05). Overall, 8–12% of patients refused or reduced prescribed ONSs. Among refusals, 59% cited the financial burden, but, critically, 23% appeared not to understand why an ONS was prescribed or what benefits to expect, revealing significant communication gaps in the care pathway. Overall, fifteen percent of patients required an explanation from the pharmacist before accepting their prescription, demonstrating pharmacists’ decisive role as gatekeepers of nutritional therapy. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the pharmacy dispensing encounter is an important decision point in the ONS care pathway, where insufficient preparation and coordination may be associated with suboptimal treatment outcomes among vulnerable patient populations. Improved prescriber–patient communication about co-payment and clinical rationale, pharmacist education in disease-specific nutrition and ONS counseling, and structured communication protocols between prescribers and pharmacists represent areas that may warrant further attention and evaluation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Collaborative Practice: The Role of Research and Education in Shaping Modern Pharmacy Practice)

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17 pages, 749 KB

Open AccessArticle

Older Patients’ Perspectives on Barriers and Facilitators to Counselling in Community Pharmacy: A Focus Group Study

by Rita Pedro, Rui Resende, Ana Reis, Ramona Mateos-Campos and Agostinho Cruz

Healthcare 2026, 14(10), 1354; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14101354 - 15 May 2026

Viewed by 297

Abstract

Background: The ageing of world population is simultaneously a great triumph and a great challenge. It is essential to adjust healthcare systems to older populations and community pharmacies are not an exception. Objectives: The goal was to identify barriers and facilitators, perceived by older patients, that may influence counselling in community pharmacy and, consequently, therapeutic adherence. Methods: A qualitative study was performed. Six focus groups were conducted with 51 participants. The target population was people aged at least 65 years who are autonomous and frequently go to community pharmacies. Results: Three main themes emerged: barriers centered in physical space, centered in older adults and centered in pharmacy professionals. Eight categories emerged from the data analysis. Aisles and access, general impairments and time management were most mentioned categories of each theme, respectively. Furthermore, several facilitators were identified, which were organized according to the same three themes, with an additional one, facilitators centered in society. There were nine categories identified. Human skills, ambiance, appointment and medication management were the most cited ones of each theme, respectively. Conclusions: It is urgent to implement real measures to update community pharmacies settings. A checklist with the main facilitators and the barriers that should be avoided would help public authorities and community pharmacies directors to adapt and to change community pharmacies’ environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Collaborative Practice: The Role of Research and Education in Shaping Modern Pharmacy Practice)

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20 pages, 812 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Policy to Practice: Community Pharmacists’ Self-Reported Counseling Role in Pharmaceutical Waste Management

by Ilie Cirstea, Tiberiu Sebastian Nemeth, Delia Mirela Tit, Timea Claudia Ghitea, Ruxandra Cristina Marin, Bogdan Uivaraseanu, Andrei-Flavius Radu and Gabriela S. Bungau

Healthcare 2026, 14(3), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14030386 - 3 Feb 2026

Viewed by 902

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Safe disposal of unused medicines represents an increasing public health and environmental concern. Until 2024, Romanian community pharmacies collected expired medicines from the public, though implementation was inconsistent. Using a knowledge–attitude–practice (KAP) framework, this study assessed community pharmacists’ self-reported involvement in pharmaceutical waste prevention in Bihor County, Romania, one year after new legislation transferred collection responsibilities to hospital-based centers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in May 2025 using a self-administered questionnaire comprising 22 items covering socio-demographics, professional practices, knowledge, and attitudes. Eligible participants were community pharmacists (N = 285). Results: Respondents reported high awareness and favourable attitudes toward pharmaceutical waste management: 98.2% indicated awareness of current legislation, 94.4% reported receiving training on the new regulations, 99.6% acknowledged health and environmental risks, and 98.9% expressed agreement that patient education is important. However, 55.4% reported providing disposal information only when patients requested it, while 89.8% indicated that patients rarely asked about medicine disposal. Self-reported proactive counseling increased with patient request frequency (χ²(3) = 7.914, p = 0.048), with pharmacists in the high-request group reporting substantially higher proactive counseling than those in the low-request group (83.3% vs. 42.9%). In an adjusted logistic regression, low request frequency was associated with lower odds of proactive counseling (aOR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.05–0.98, p = 0.047). Most respondents (94.6%) perceived waste-related responsibilities, though these perceptions were only weakly related to reported counseling behaviors. Conclusions: Pharmacists reported high awareness and positive attitudes toward pharmaceutical waste management, but counseling remained reactive. Patient demand was a key correlate of counseling proactivity, underscoring the need for structured education within Romania’s hospital-based take-back system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Collaborative Practice: The Role of Research and Education in Shaping Modern Pharmacy Practice)

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11 pages, 207 KB

Open AccessArticle

Perception of Generic Drugs Among Pharmacists in Poland: The Role of Sociodemographic Factors in Shaping Professional Attitudes and Practices

by Marcin Lewandowski, Urszula Religioni, Dariusz Świetlik, Adam Kobayashi, Marcin Czech, Piotr Wierzbiński, Daniel Śliż, Waldemar Wierzba, Katarzyna Plagens-Rotman and Piotr Merks

Healthcare 2025, 13(20), 2629; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13202629 - 20 Oct 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1378

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists’ perceptions and practices shape the real-world uptake of generic medicines. From a health-economics perspective, wider generic substitution reduces patient out-of-pocket spending and creates headroom in payer budgets for high-value interventions. We assessed attitudes toward the efficacy, safety, and use of generics and examined sociodemographic correlates among Polish pharmacists. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional survey of licensed pharmacists in Poland was used (June–August 2025). The questionnaire covered reasons for recommending generics in long-term and single-use therapy; doubts about efficacy; views on bioequivalence testing; patient-reported experiences; and Likert-scale opinions on innovation, safety, efficacy, access, and payer savings. Associations were tested with χ² and Mann–Whitney U (α = 0.05). Results: Of 342 respondents (67.5% women; 74.9% community pharmacists), cost was the leading reason to recommend generics in long-term therapy (91.0%), followed by efficacy (53.0%) and safety (51.5%); for single-use prescriptions, cost remained central (76.2%), with lower emphasis on efficacy (47.5%) and safety (45.0%). Pharmacists who never recommend generics were older and more experienced (p = 0.006; p = 0.012). Doubts about generic efficacy were reported by 36.2% overall and more often among women, hospital pharmacists, and those with a specialization; 53.5% of those with doubts would advise switching even to a costlier option. Nearly half supported conducting bioequivalence studies between generics (49.6%). Positive perceptions predominated: 82.9% agreed generics are as effective and 84.6% as safe as originators. Most endorsed system benefits, including payer savings enabling list expansion (73.6%) and improved patient access (92.5%); agreement on access was higher among community pharmacists (p = 0.004). Conclusions: Polish pharmacists largely view generics as clinically equivalent and system-enhancing, with cost the dominant driver of recommendation. Targeted education—especially for hospital settings and specialized pharmacists—and attention to patient-reported experiences may further strengthen confidence and appropriate use of generics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Collaborative Practice: The Role of Research and Education in Shaping Modern Pharmacy Practice)

10 pages, 183 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating Clinical Pharmacist Interventions in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Retrospective Study from Saudi Arabia

by Abdulhamid Althagafi

Healthcare 2025, 13(19), 2504; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13192504 - 2 Oct 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2442

Abstract

Background: Clinical pharmacy services (CPSs) play a key role in ensuring medication safety, optimizing pharmacotherapy, and improving patient outcomes. While their benefits are well-documented globally, their specific impact within the Saudi healthcare system remains underexplored. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of pharmacist-led interventions in a tertiary medical center in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted at a 1200-bed academic hospital in western Saudi Arabia. Pharmacist interventions documented between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 were analyzed. Interventions were categorized into 13 types, including dosage errors, unavailable medications, and drug–drug interactions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Results: A total of 38,143 pharmacist interventions were recorded. Dosage errors accounted for 77.2% (n = 29,584) of interventions, followed by issues with medication availability (6.57%, n = 2519) and incorrect medication orders (4.59%, n = 1761). The most frequently implicated medications were acetylsalicylic acid, enoxaparin, and paracetamol, collectively representing 43.55% of interventions. The highest intervention rates were in the Emergency Department (25.3%, n = 11,050), Oncology Clinics (9.81%, n = 4285), and Male Medical Units (9.43%, n = 4119). Conclusions: Clinical pharmacists play a significant role in reducing medication errors and improving patient safety across various specialties. Their targeted interventions optimize therapeutic outcomes, highlighting the need for integrating advanced tools and expanding CPSs to meet evolving healthcare demands in Saudi Arabia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Collaborative Practice: The Role of Research and Education in Shaping Modern Pharmacy Practice)

Review

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17 pages, 973 KB

Open AccessReview

A Multi-Dimensional Analysis of the Changing Role of Clinical and Community Pharmacists in Romanian Healthcare

by Alexandra Cristina Tocai (Moțoc), Felicia Dragan, Daria Marina Dragan, Andrei George Teodorescu, Cristina Oana Daciana Teodorescu, Camelia Florentina Ciobanu, Diana Uivarosan and Dana Carmen Zaha

Healthcare 2026, 14(5), 624; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14050624 - 1 Mar 2026

Viewed by 855

Abstract

Community and hospital pharmacists in Romania are valuable to healthcare, but their involvement in multidisciplinary teams is still not up to the mark when measured against international standards. A systematic literature review search was conducted using the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, complemented by a bibliometric analysis with VOSviewer, to identify research trends and key contributors in the field. This review examines studies such as counseling effectiveness, clinical contribution, and professional obstacles faced by pharmacists in Romania published between 2014 and 2025 that mainly focus on community practice, integration into hospitals, and new areas such as pharmacogenetics and pharmacovigilance. The studies surveyed patients on how they evaluated counseling, tracked clinical pharmacists who adjusted drug doses through therapeutic monitoring, checked whether healthcare professionals followed safety warnings, and checked management systems within institutions. High costs and the removal of pharmacovigilance from compulsory university courses add to the obstacles. Romanian pharmacists already possess the knowledge or skills to raise treatment success and shield patients from unsafe self-medication through timely clinical advice. To use this capacity fully, the system must change, including health insurance covering pharmaceutical services, compulsory updating of course content, and official interdisciplinary protocols for this potential to be fully exploited. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Collaborative Practice: The Role of Research and Education in Shaping Modern Pharmacy Practice)

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37 pages, 406 KB

Open AccessReview

Self-Medication as a Global Health Concern: Overview of Practices and Associated Factors—A Narrative Review

by Vedrana Aljinović-Vučić

Healthcare 2025, 13(15), 1872; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151872 - 31 Jul 2025

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 16141

Abstract

Self-medication is a subject of global importance. If practiced responsibly, self-medication represents a part of self-care or positive care of an individual or a community in promoting their own health. However, today’s practices of self-medication are often inappropriate and irresponsible, and as such appear all over the world. Inappropriate self-medication can be connected with possible serious health risks and consequences. Therefore, it represents a global health issue. It can even generate additional health problems, which will eventually become a burden to healthcare systems and can induce significant costs, which also raises socioeconomic concerns. Hence, self-medication attracts the attention of researchers and practitioners globally in efforts to clarify the current status and define feasible measures that should be implemented to address this issue. This narrative review aims to give an overview of the situation in the field of self-medication globally, including current practices and attitudes, as well as implications for actions needed to improve this problem. A PubMed/MEDLINE search was conducted for articles published in the period from 1995 up to March 2025 using keywords “self-medication” or “selfmedication” alone or in combinations with terms related to specific subthemes related to self-medication, such as COVID-19, antimicrobials, healthcare professionals, and storing habits of medicines at home. Studies were included if self-medication was their main focus. Publications that only mentioned self-medication in different contexts, but not as their main focus, were excluded. Considering the outcomes of research on self-medication in various contexts, increasing awareness of responsible self-medication through education and informing, together with surveillance of particular medicines and populations, could lead to more appropriate and beneficial self-medication in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Collaborative Practice: The Role of Research and Education in Shaping Modern Pharmacy Practice)

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