Exploring the roles of community pharmacies in supporting adults with osteoarthritis and other chronic (non-malignant) pain: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.

OBJECTIVE

Synthesise the existing evidence exploring the roles of community pharmacies in supporting adults with osteoarthritis and other chronic (non-malignant) pain.

METHODS

Systematic review with narrative synthesis Data sources MEDLINE(OVID), MEDLINE, EMBASE(Ovid), CINAHL(EBSCO), HMIC(OVID), EMCARE(OVID), PsychINFO(OVID), AMED(All Allied and Complementary Medicine), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews-CDSR, Web of Science. Eligibility Any primary study referring to care delivered to adults with osteoarthritis or other chronic non-malignant pain by community pharmacies, regardless of care content or duration. Data extraction Relevant studies were screened and data extracted. Quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) or Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) criteria.

RESULTS

13,294 papers were identified and 27 studies (28 papers) included, incorporating clinical trials, observational studies, qualitative studies and economic evaluation. Studies' quality was mixed. Five studies focused specifically on OA, and the others addressed chronic pain more broadly. Fourteen studies (52%) focused on the current role of community pharmacies in care delivery, nine (33%) (ten papers) on intervention effectiveness and fifteen (56%) on attitudes and beliefs. Findings revealed that current community pharmacy care for OA and other chronic pain predominantly focuses on pharmacological management, with evidence supporting an extended role in non-pharmacological and self-management. Attitudes and beliefs about this role were mixed, with barriers that could hinder its effectiveness and implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

Existing evidence on the role of community pharmacies in managing chronic pain is diverse and of varying quality. This makes implementation across different healthcare systems difficult.