Brazilian private community pharmacy pharmaceutical services structure: a Review

Abstract

Pharmaceutical Services (PS) comprises technical-managerial actions of production, selection, storage, distribution, and dispensation of drugs, and technical-assistance actions aimed at the clinical management of these products. PA is present in private community pharmacies, strategic health establishments for the population’s access to pharmacists. This review aims to describe how PS is structured in Brazilian private community pharmacies. The articles search occurred in Lilacs, MEDLINE and SciELO databases, combining the descriptors pharmacies, pharmaceutical services, community pharmacy services, professional practice. Titles and abstracts were read, followed by a full-text reading. 151 articles were selected and 8 were eligible for qualitative analysis. Three categories of analysis were listed, corresponding to the structuring of PS in pharmacies: the presence of pharmacists in private community pharmacies and the team’s professional qualification; the pharmacists’ work routine in private community pharmacies; the in private community pharmacies’ infrastructure to provide Pharmaceutical Services. It was concluded that the presence of pharmacists impacts the quality of PS in pharmacies. However, pharmacists dedicate more time to technical-managerial management, and the technical-assistance actions are performed by individuals without academic training in the health area. A scenario of absence of private rooms was exposed, restricting the contact between pharmacists and patients to the counters. It is suggested that further studies on the topic addressed should be conducted in Brazil. From the expansion of this theoretical repertoire, it will be possible to propose strategies that lead to the success of the PS provided in these health services.