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

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 5628

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Piotr Merks

E-Mail Website
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

E-Mail Website
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 207 KB  
Article
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
Viewed by 53
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 [...] Read more.
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  
Article
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
Viewed by 336
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 [...] Read more.
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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37 pages, 406 KB  
Review
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 1 | Viewed by 4212
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 [...] Read more.
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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