Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42249377›Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2026

The role of pharmacists and pharmacy team members in the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery of outbreaks - a global rapid systematic review.

Rachel Berry, Anna Wilkinson, Aliya Turk, Bee Yean Ng, Sadie Pinkney, Bhavna Halai, Agatha Emoche, Tracey Thornley, Diane Ashiru-Oredope

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Rachel BerryAntimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections Division, UK Health Security Agency, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, United Kingdom.
Anna WilkinsonAll Hazards Public Health Response Division, UK Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom.
Aliya TurkChief Data Office, UK Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom.
Bee Yean NgAntimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections Division, UK Health Security Agency, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, United Kingdom.
Sadie PinkneySchool of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Bhavna HalaiMedicines Optimisation and IR(ME)R, Care Quality Commission, London, United Kingdom.
Agatha EmocheAntimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections Division, UK Health Security Agency, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, United Kingdom.
Tracey ThornleyChief Data Office, UK Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom.
Diane Ashiru-OredopeAntimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections Division, UK Health Security Agency, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, United Kingdom. diane.ashiru-oredope@ukhsa.gov.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPharmacists and their teams can undertake pharmaceutical public health roles during outbreaks within the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency cycle of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. These may be at micro- (individual), meso- (regional or organisational) or macro- (national) levels. The primary outcome was to identify pharmacy team members' roles in outbreaks (excluding COVID-19) and classify by WHO emergency cycle phase and intervention level.

methodsWe conducted a rapid systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42024617152) in Embase, Medline, and SCOPUS databases including articles published from 2014 to Feb 2025. After duplicate removal, titles/abstracts and full texts were screened, extracted and assessed for bias by one reviewer, with 10% second-checked. Thematic synthesis was used and described narratively to reflect variability in the studies.

resultsFrom 161 articles across all WHO regions, 145 distinct thematically derived role categories were identified. Most were in the response phase (46%), followed by prevention (29%), preparedness (15%), and recovery (10%). Roles were primarily at meso-level (37%) and micro-level (35%), with fewer at macro-level (28%). 34% of the articles reported contributions related to health inequalities. Reported barriers were clustered into five themes: knowledge/training gaps, regulatory restrictions, resource and infrastructure constraints, communication, and cultural factors.

conclusionPharmacy team members have roles during non-COVID outbreaks across all stages of the WHO emergency cycle at all levels. However, their contributions are less well documented in recovery and at macro-level. Integrating pharmacy roles into emergency frameworks, supported by regulatory reform, funding, and training, may support health-system resilience, and reduce health inequalities.

Indexed as

Disease OutbreaksPharmacistsProfessional RoleHumansPandemic PreparednessWorld Health OrganizationOutbreakPharmaceutical public healthPharmacoequityPharmacy professionalPreparednessPreventionProfessional roleRecoveryResponse

Identifiers

PMID42249377
PMCPMC13459953

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.