A survey of Alberta pharmacists' actions and opinions in regard to administering vaccines and medications by injection.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists in Alberta have been authorized to administer vaccines and other medications by injection for more than 10 years; however, little is known about the provision of this service and their opinions regarding this service. Understanding pharmacists' experiences regarding injection services would inform development of strategies to improve provision of injection services. OBJECTIVES: To describe the actions related to administering an injection, including identification of commonly administered medications, and to identify perceived barriers and facilitators pharmacists face when providing injection services. METHODS: An online survey was developed and loaded into REDCap, and e-mail invitations were sent to 5714 pharmacists registered with the Alberta College of Pharmacy in October 2020. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Pharmacists who administered at least one injection in the previous year were considered active providers, and their opinions regarding injection services were compared with nonactive providers. RESULTS: A total of 397 pharmacists responded to our survey, mean age was 42 years, 66% were female, 82% were community pharmacists, and 90% were active providers. The most common injection, administered by 98% of active providers, was influenza vaccine, followed by vitamin B12 (95%), herpes zoster vaccine (88%), hepatitis vaccines (86%), and pneumococcal vaccines (82%). Nonactive providers were more likely than active providers to report that comfort with administering injections (P < 0.001) and managing adverse reactions (P = 0.013) were moderate or major barriers to providing injections. More than 60% of pharmacists indicated that access and automated reporting to the provincial immunization registry would be essential to increasing the frequency of providing injection services. CONCLUSION: We identified that Alberta pharmacists administer a wide variety of vaccines and other medications by injection. Respondents identified several barriers and facilitators to providing these services. Addressing these barriers may help improve provision of injection services by pharmacists.

The COVID conversations: A content analysis of Canadian pharmacy organizations' communication of pharmacists' roles and services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique challenge for pharmacists as they navigated information scarcity on the frontlines while being identified as information experts. Alberta pharmacists looked to their professional organizations for direction regarding what their roles should be in a crisis. The objective of this study was to explore pharmacists' roles and services and how they were communicated by pharmacy organizations during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study used a conventional content analysis method to explore the online communication of relevant pharmacy organizations for Alberta pharmacists. Five organization websites (National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities, Canadian Pharmacists Association [CPhA], Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists [CSHP], Alberta College of Pharmacy [ACP] and the Alberta Pharmacists' Association [RxA]) were examined to identify and catalogue publicly accessible documents that communicated pharmacists' roles and services during the first year of the pandemic for Alberta pharmacists. Results: A total of 92 documents were collected from CPhA (60), CSHP (2), ACP (26) and RxA (4). While most documents communicated information about pharmacists' roles in public health, patient care and drug and personal protective equipment supply, more than one-third of the documents (32/92, 34.8%) required contextual information to interpret the communication. There was an observed shift in the communication after the first 6 months, becoming more direct in its messaging and context. Conclusion: These pharmacy organizations communicated information for pharmacists' roles and services to provide direction and guidance in the ever-changing context of the COVID-19 pandemic for Alberta pharmacists. Their communication became clearer and more direct as the pandemic progressed, requiring less inference to understand the intended message.

Community pharmacists' provision of sexual and reproductive health services: A cross-sectional study in Alberta, Canada.

BACKGROUND: In many countries, pharmacists' scope of practice enables the delivery of professional pharmacy services related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Studies exploring practices and perspectives regarding a wide range of SRH professional pharmacy services and the extent to which pharmacists are involved in prescribing or administering injections are limited. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore SRH professional pharmacy services provided by pharmacists, evaluate pharmacists' self-reported confidence in providing SRH education and determine preferences for additional training. METHODS: A cross-sectional Web-based survey was administered to pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Alberta, Canada. The survey was sent via e-mail and was open for 8 weeks between June and August 2020. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Most of the 303 participants were female (66%) and received their first pharmacy degree in Canada (69%). Approximately two-thirds had additional prescribing authorization (APA), and 97% had injections authorization; 90% and 94% of participants reported administering injectable contraceptives and human papillomavirus vaccine, respectively, and more than 95% renewed prescriptions for oral contraceptives. Of the participants with APA, approximately 40% reported providing initial prescribing services for contraceptive products. Overall, participants reported confidence in providing SRH education for most topics. Most selected topics for additional training were related to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections; sexual health concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning; and abortion medications. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists in Alberta reported providing a wide range of SRH services and are interested in expanding their SRH role. These findings highlight opportunities to improve access and reduce inequities in the delivery of SRH services through community pharmacies. However, pharmacists' training needs should be considered.

A qualitative case study exploring the implementation of pharmacist care planning services in community pharmacies.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the comprehensive annual care plan (CACP) process and to conceptualize how remunerated CACP services were implemented by community pharmacists. DESIGN: A comparative, multiple case study approach with data comprising document review, observation, and semistructured interviews. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and staff, and student pharmacists from 4 different community pharmacy sites in Alberta, Canada, including independent, franchise, and corporate chain pharmacies. In addition, patients and other health care providers were included in the interviews. OUTCOME MEASURES: Constructivist grounded theory was used to understand how care planning services were implemented in the real-world context of community pharmacies and how pharmacists provided CACPs within their practice. RESULTS: Between May 2016 and January 2018, a total of 77 interviews and 94 hours of observations were completed at the 4 pharmacy sites, and 61 documents were collected. The CACP service required adaptation of the workflow at each of the sites. However, pharmacists and other pharmacy staff recognized benefits of the service with respect to pharmacists' role expansion. The overarching grounded theory concept was changing the status quo. The following 4 themes emerged representing how the service was implemented: engaging patients, professional development and learning from experience, creating a supportive environment, and building community connections. CONCLUSION: This study found that practice change or changing the status quo was needed to implement remunerated care planning services in community pharmacies. The results of this study may be of interest to community pharmacists, pharmacy managers, and policy makers who are implementing remunerated care planning services in other jurisdictions.

Positioning pharmacists' roles in primary health care: a discourse analysis of the compensation plan in Alberta, Canada.

BACKGROUND: A comprehensive Compensation Plan for pharmacy services delivered by community pharmacists was implemented in Alberta, Canada in July 2012. Services covered by the Compensation Plan include care planning services, prescribing services such as adapting prescriptions, and administering a drug or publicly-funded vaccine by injection. Understanding how the Compensation Plan was framed and communicated provides insight into the roles of pharmacists and the potential influence of language on the implementation of services covered by the Compensation Plan by Albertan pharmacists. The objective of this study is to examine the positioning of pharmacists' roles in documents used to communicate the Compensation Plan to Albertan pharmacists and other audiences. METHODS: Publicly available documents related to the Compensation Plan, such as news releases or reports, published between January 2012 and December 2015 were obtained from websites such as the Government of Alberta, Alberta Blue Cross, the Alberta College of Pharmacists, the Alberta Pharmacists' Association, and the Blueprint for Pharmacy. Searches of the Canadian Newsstand database and Google identified additional documents. Discourse analysis was performed using social positioning theory to explore how pharmacists' roles were constructed in communications about the Compensation Plan. RESULTS: In total, 65 publicly available documents were included in the analysis. The Compensation Plan was put forward as a framework for payment for professional services and formal legitimization of pharmacists' changing professional roles. The discourse associated with the Compensation Plan positioned pharmacists' roles as: (1) expanding to include services such as medication management for chronic diseases, (2) contributing to primary health care by providing access to services such as prescription renewals and immunizations, and (3) collaborating with other health care team members. Pharmacists' changing roles were positioned in alignment with the aims of primary health care. CONCLUSIONS: Social positioning theory provides a useful lens to examine the dynamic and evolving roles of pharmacists. This study provides insight into how communications regarding the Compensation Plan in Alberta, Canada positioned pharmacists' changing roles in the broader context of changes to primary health care delivery. Our findings may be useful for other jurisdictions considering implementation of remunerated clinical services provided by pharmacists.

Development and implementation of the compensation plan for pharmacy services in Alberta, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To describe experiences with development and implementation of a compensation plan for pharmacy services delivered by pharmacists in community pharmacies. SETTING: Community pharmacy practice in Alberta, Canada. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: Pharmacists in Alberta have one of the most progressive scopes of practice in North America. They have authority to prescribe drugs independently, administer drugs by injection, access electronic health records, and order laboratory tests. PRACTICE INNOVATION: A publicly funded compensation plan for pharmacy services was implemented in 2012. Principles that guided development of the compensation plan aimed to 1) ensure payment for pharmacy services, 2) support pharmacists in using their full scope of practice, 3) enable the development of long-term relationships with patients, 4) facilitate expansion of services delivered by pharmacists, and 5) provide access to pharmacy services for all eligible Albertans. Services covered by the compensation plan include care planning, prescribing, and administering drugs by injection. EVALUATION: The guiding principles were used to evaluate experiences with the compensation plan. RESULTS: Claims for pharmacy services covered by the compensation plan increased from 30,000 per month in July 2012 to 170,000 per month in March 2016. From September 2015 to August 2016, 1226 pharmacies submitted claims for services provided by 3901 pharmacists. The number of pharmacists with authorization to prescribe and administer injections continued to increase following implementation of the plan. CONCLUSION: Alberta's experiences with the development and implementation of the compensation plan will be of interest to jurisdictions considering implementation of remunerated pharmacy services. The potential impact of the plan on health and economic outcomes, in addition to the value of the services as perceived by the public, patients, pharmacists, and other health care providers, should also be explored.

Pharmacy Students' Perceptions of the Pharmacist Role: An Arts-Informed Approach to Professional Identity Formation.

Elements of professional identity are closely intertwined with professional roles, and individuals perceive themselves in relation to their roles. How pharmacists perceive their professional identity influences how they enact their roles in practice. For pharmacy students, understanding the pharmacist role and envisioning themselves in that role supports the formation of their professional identity. This study explores students' perceptions of the pharmacist role. First-year pharmacy students enrolled in the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the University of Alberta were invited to participate in this study. Using an adapted version of the draw-and-write technique, participants were asked to express their understanding of the pharmacist role visually. An analysis of the results was guided by established discourses related to pharmacist identity derived from pharmacy education literature. In total, 100 pharmacy students participated in this study. The findings indicate that pharmacy students have a comprehensive understanding of the pharmacist role, especially the dispenser and health care provider aspects of a pharmacist's professional identity. Additionally, students acknowledged the involvement of pharmacists in health care teams, in public health, and primary health care services. A discourse related to professional identity, the multi-faceted professional, emerged to describe the coexistence of multiple roles in modern pharmacy practice. An arts-based activity successfully facilitated the exploration of pharmacy students' perceptions of the professional role of pharmacists. This approach has potential in supporting instruction regarding professional identity formation within the curriculum.

Community Pharmacists' Experiences and Attitudes towards the Provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: An International Survey.

Access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services remains a challenge worldwide. Describing community pharmacists' SRH services in countries with different scopes of practice will aid in understanding how pharmacists view their roles and how to support them in providing needed services. A cross-sectional web-based survey was administered to pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Japan, Thailand, and Canada. The survey covered 7 SRH categories: pregnancy tests, ovulation tests, contraception, emergency contraception, sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, maternal and perinatal health, and general sexual health. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. A total of 922 eligible responses were included in the analysis (Japan = 534, Thailand = 85, and Canada = 303). Most Thai and Canadian participants reported dispensing hormonal contraceptives (Thailand = 99%, Canada = 98%) and emergency contraceptive pills (Thailand = 98%, Canada = 97%). Most Japanese participants provided patient education on barrier contraceptives for men (56%) and information on the safety of medications in pregnancy (74%) and breastfeeding (76%). The majority of participants expressed interest in additional training and expanding their roles in SRH. Sharing international experiences can guide challenges faced by the evolution of pharmacists' practice in SRH. Providing pharmacists support could help their readiness for this role.

A photovoice study on community pharmacists' roles and lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacists were the face of the health response to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Their pivotal role during the pandemic has been widely recognized, as they adapted to continue to provide a higher level of care to their patients. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of frontline pharmacists' lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on their roles. METHODS: Photovoice, a visual research method that uses participant-generated photographs to articulate their experiences, was used with semi-structured interviews to explore pharmacists' lived experiences. Frontline community pharmacists who provided direct patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Canada were recruited. Participants were asked to provide 3-5 photos that reflected on how they see themselves as a pharmacist and/or represents what they do as a pharmacist. Data analysis incorporated content, thematic and visual analysis and was facilitated using NVivo software. A published conceptual framework model was used as the foundation of the analysis with care taken to include new concepts. Ethics approval was obtained from the University of Alberta health research ethics board. RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with 21 participants and they 71 photos. This study advanced the conceptual framework model presented in a scoping review, of what was made visible (pharmacists' information, public health, and medication management roles) and what was invisible but made visible by the pandemic (pharmacists' leadership roles). It was revealed through the reflective nature of this study the important leadership role pharmacists have in their communities. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the work of community pharmacists responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through their information, public health, medication management, and leadership roles. Their experiences also made visible the cost their work had on them as they did more to adapt and continually respond as the pandemic evolved. Pharmacists recognized their role as leaders in their practice and communities.

Drawing out experience: Arts-informed qualitative research exploring public perceptions of community pharmacy services.

In many countries around the world, people go to community pharmacies to receive primary health care services. Awareness of public views and experiences may help to identify opportunities for greater uptake of primary health care services provided by pharmacists and ways to improve care. Arts-informed research offers the possibility to provide additional insights into public perceptions of community pharmacy services. The purpose of this exploratory study is to describe the process and results of an arts-informed research project using an adapted version of the draw and write technique in combination with focus group interviews to explore public perceptions of community pharmacy services. The draw and write technique was introduced as an introductory activity to evoke a visual expression of participants' perceptions and experiences with community pharmacy services. Participants were invited to answer the question, "What do community pharmacy services mean to you?" in the form of a drawing and words. They were then prompted to discuss their drawings in a focus group interview. This approach resulted in rich visual and textual data. Analysis consisted of a combination of manual sorting of the visual data and examination of the focus group interview data that were transcribed verbatim, anonymized, and analyzed using an inductive comparative approach. NVIVO version 12 software was used to code and manage all data. Use of the draw and write technique elicited initial, fresh perspectives about community pharmacy services prior to discussions with participants in the focus group interviews. This approach allowed researchers to access a diverse range of experiences and perspectives.

Reflective Practice: Co-Creating Reflective Activities for Pharmacy Students.

Reflective practice is important in pharmacy education to support skill development for decision-making, critical thinking, problem-solving, and in continuing professional development and beyond. Despite the importance of reflective practice in higher education and professional practice, reflection assignments are not universally embraced by students. This project was initiated due to recent interest in the co-creation of pharmacy curriculum by students and faculty. The purpose of this project was to develop reflection assignments for pharmacy students. The principles of the analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation (ADDIE) instructional design framework guided the development of reflection assignment templates for three focus areas: personal development, professional development, and professional identity formation. Templates included background and definitions for these specific focus areas as well as objectives, instructions, guiding questions, assessment methods, and submission requirements. A previously tested assessment rubric was adopted for reflection assignments. Development involved target audience and expert reviews and a trial implementation was held in a year 3 patient care skills course. The co-creation process enriched the experiences of students and faculty involved in it. Future co-creation projects including groups of students, formal evaluation of outcomes, and impact on the program will further support integration of reflective practice in the pharmacy curriculum.

Hospital Pharmacists' Experiences with Medical Assistance in Dying: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Pharmacists in many countries have long been involved in some aspect of assisted dying. Since 2016, when Canada enacted legislation permitting medical assistance in dying (MAiD), the number of patients seeking the procedure has increased yearly. Despite the global nature of pharmacists' involvement, little is known about how they experience MAiD practice. Objective: To study how pharmacists experience the practice of caring for patients who seek MAiD. Methods: This qualitative study used semistructured interviews with pharmacists who had cared for patients seeking MAiD. Interviews, conducted between June 2019 and October 2020, were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were examined using a modified framework analysis approach. Data were coded and sorted using Quirkos and Microsoft Excel software. Themes were defined through an iterative process involving constant comparison. Results: Nineteen hospital pharmacists representing a range of practice settings in Alberta participated in the study. The experience of caring for patients seeking assistance in dying brought to light 3 themes: finding a place in the process, serving in a caring role, and bearing emotional burdens. Pharmacists' experiences were personal, relational, emotional, and dynamic. Conclusions: Each of the pharmacists experienced MAiD practice in a unique way. Although their roles in MAiD were primarily medication-focused, their experiences highlighted the centrality of patient choices, autonomy, and needs. The results of this study will inform pharmacists (including those not yet engaged in MAiD practice) about the role, and will also be valuable for pharmacy organizations and educators seeking to support pharmacists and the profession, as well as policy-makers seeking to expand pharmacists' roles in MAiD.

Contexte: Les pharmaciens de nombreux pays participent depuis longtemps à certains aspects de l'aide médicale à mourir (AMM). Depuis que le Canada a adopté une loi l'autorisant en 2016, le nombre de patients qui demandent l'intervention a augmenté chaque année. Malgré la nature mondiale de l'implication des pharmaciens, on sait peu de choses sur la façon dont ils vivent la pratique de l'AMM. Objectif: Étudier comment les pharmaciens vivent la pratique de la prise en charge des patients qui sollicitent l'AMM. Méthodes: Cette étude qualitative a utilisé des entretiens semi-structurés avec des pharmaciens qui avaient pris en charge des patients ayant fait une demande d'AMM. Un enregistrement sonore des entretiens, menés entre juin 2019 et octobre 2020, a été effectué et ils ont été transcrits mot à mot. Les données ont été examinées en adoptant une approche d'analyse du cadre modifié. Les données ont été codées et triées à l'aide des logiciels Quirkos et Microsoft Excel. Les thèmes ont été définis par un processus itératif impliquant une comparaison constante. Résultats: Dix-neuf pharmaciens d'hôpitaux représentant un éventail de milieux de pratique en Alberta ont participé à l'étude. L'expérience de la prise en charge de patients cherchant à recevoir l'aide médicale à mourir a mis en lumière 3 thèmes : trouver sa place dans le processus; jouer un rôle de proche aidant; et supporter des charges émotionnelles. Les expériences des pharmaciens étaient personnelles, relationnelles, émotionnelles et dynamiques. Conclusions: Chaque pharmacien a vécu la pratique de l'AMM d'une manière unique. Bien que leurs rôles dans l'AMM étaient principalement axés sur la médication, leurs expériences ont mis en évidence la centralité des choix, de l'autonomie et des besoins des patients. Les résultats de cette étude informeront les pharmaciens (y compris ceux qui ne sont pas encore engagés dans la pratique de l'AMM) sur le rôle. Ils seront également précieux pour les organismes pharmaceutiques et les éducateurs cherchant à soutenir les pharmaciens et la profession, ainsi que pour les décideurs politiques qui cherchent à élargir les rôles de pharmaciens dans l'AMM.

Sexual and reproductive health services provided by community pharmacists: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: Pharmacists are increasingly providing patient-focused services in community pharmacies, including in the area of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Specific SRH areas have been the focus of research, but a broader perspective is needed to position pharmacists as SRH providers. This review explored research that described and evaluated professional pharmacy services across a broad range of SRH areas. DESIGN: Scoping review DATA SOURCES: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Library (January 2007-July 2020). STUDY SELECTION: Studies reporting on the description and evaluation of professional pharmacy SRH services provided by community pharmacists. DATA EXTRACTION: Two investigators screened studies for eligibility, and one investigator extracted the data. Data were analysed to primarily describe professional pharmacy services and intervention outcomes. RESULTS: Forty-one studies were included. The main SRH areas and professional pharmacy services reported were sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections (63%) and screening (39%), respectively. Findings showed that pharmacists' delivery of SRH services was feasible, able to reach vulnerable and high-risk groups, and interventions were highly accepted and valued by users. However, integration into daily workflow, pharmacist remuneration, cost and reimbursement for patients, and policy regulations were some of the barriers identified to implementing SRH services. Studies were primarily in specific areas such as chlamydia screening or hormonal contraception prescribing, while studies in other areas (ie, medical abortion provision, long-acting reversible contraception prescribing and vaccine delivery in pregnant women) were lacking. CONCLUSION: This scoping review highlights the expansion of pharmacists' roles beyond traditional product-focused services in a number of SRH areas. Given the potential feasibility, users' acceptability and reach, pharmacists are ideally situated to enhance SRH care access. Future research describing implementation and evaluation of professional pharmacy services in all SRH areas is needed to promote access to these services through community pharmacies and position pharmacists as SRH providers worldwide.

"If I were to do this, how would I experience it?" Developing a theoretical framework for exploring pharmacists' practice in the domain of assisted dying.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, pharmacy practice is changing to include new roles and responsibilities. Laws enabling the implementation of assisted dying are expanding in international jurisdictions. Pharmacy practice in assisted dying is subsequently expanding. However, studies of how pharmacists experience their practice when engaged in assisted dying are absent. To progress research into the lived experiences of pharmacists practicing in assisted dying, the development of an inquiry framework to guide such research is the first step. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to develop a theoretical framework of inquiry for use in subsequent continuing research which may explore the actual experience of pharmacy practice in assisted dying. METHODS: Perspectives were gathered from expert and senior pharmacists who were anticipating the imminent implementation of assisted dying practice. Analysis focused on understanding what aspects of practice experience were important to them. Interview-conversations centred on the question: If you had the chance to talk to experienced pharmacist practitioners who have been involved in the practice of assisted dying, what aspects regarding their experiences, would you like to know about? A conventional approach to qualitative content analysis was utilized to analyze the data. RESULTS: Findings summarized questions posed by pharmacists contemplating the implementation of assisted dying practice. These perspectives formed the foundation of a theoretical inquiry framework constituted by 8 inter-related dimensional range-continuums. Each range-continuum, designed to explore the lived experiences of pharmacists in practice, is defined. Examples of how the inquiry dimensions will be used to inform future exploratory research are offered within the framework. CONCLUSIONS: The theoretical inquiry framework will be used to develop knowledge for pharmacists contemplating participation (or not) in assisted dying practice. It is timely to progress research that reveals the informed experiences of pharmacists that are actually practicing in this area. The framework may be adapted for researching pharmacists' experience in other practice areas and contexts.

Experience of Patients with COPD of Pharmacists' Provided Care: A Qualitative Study.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with high global morbidity and mortality. Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to provide services which may reduce the burden of this disease on the health system, patients, and their families. The study aimed to understand the perceptions and experiences of patients living with COPD with pharmacists' provided care in COPD diagnosis and management. The study was guided by qualitative description methodology and reported using the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 participants who were recruited from community pharmacies, seniors' centres, a general practice clinic, and a pulmonary rehabilitation centre. Using qualitative content analysis, we identified categories that revealed great variation in participants' experience of pharmacy care based on the depth of patient-pharmacist engagement. Participants who regarded their pharmacists as an essential member of their healthcare team and those who did not, had contrasting experiences with education, communication, and ability to form connections with their pharmacists. For patients with COPD, it is important that the pharmacist is proactive in engaging patients through effective communication, education/provision of relevant information, identification of patient needs, and consistent provision of care with empathy.

COVID the Catalyst for Evolving Professional Role Identity? A Scoping Review of Global Pharmacists' Roles and Services as a Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic requires a range of healthcare services to meet the needs of society. The objective was to explore what is known about the roles and services performed by frontline pharmacists during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A scoping review was conducted of frontline pharmacists' roles and services during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A medical librarian conducted comprehensive searches in five bibliographic databases-MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase (Ovid), CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection for articles published between December 2019 and December 2020. The initial search retrieved 3269 articles. After removing duplicates, 1196 articles titles and abstracts were screened, 281 full texts were reviewed for eligibility, and 63 articles were included. This scoping review presents a conceptual framework model of the different layers made visible by COVID-19 of pharmacist roles in public health, information, and medication management. It is theorized that there is an invisible layer of change representing evolving professional role identity that may influence permanent role change following the pandemic. Thus, the pharmacy profession needs to build upon the lessons and experiences of this global pandemic and not let the momentum of the visible and invisible changes go to waste.

Reproductive Health Services: Attitudes and Practice of Japanese Community Pharmacists.

The provision of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services is an important part of a community pharmacist's role in many countries. However, such services are not traditionally provided by pharmacists in Japan. We surveyed the practice and attitudes regarding the provision of SRH services among Japanese community pharmacists with a focus on reproductive health (RH) topics. The participants were asked about the provision of RH services, attitudes toward their role as SRH providers, and self-reported confidence in providing education to patients on RH topics. We obtained 534 effective responses. About half of the participants reported providing RH services, and only 21% were involved in dispensing emergency contraception pills. Although the proportion of pharmacists providing education on these topics was considerably lower, about 80% recognized the importance of their role as SRH advisors. Confidence in providing patient education about RH topics depended on their experience in providing such services. Most participants were interested in additional SRH training (80%). Our results suggest that training programs could help to expand Japanese community pharmacists' roles as SRH providers and increase their confidence in the education of patients. This study provides useful insights to expand pharmacists' roles in Japan as providers of comprehensive SRH services.