Integrating pharmacists into care teams: a qualitative systematic review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to systematically examine the qualitative literature reporting on strategies that have been used (or could be developed) by healthcare services to integrate pharmacists into a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

INTRODUCTION: Delivery models of pharmaceutical care have been developed, trialed, and refined since this concept was first defined more than 30 years ago. Delivery models that integrate pharmacists within a multidisciplinary team allow pharmacists to play a pivotal role in improving health outcomes for patients and contributing to patient self-management. Systematic reviews clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of these models; however, the attitudes, beliefs, expectations, understandings, perceptions and experiences of these multidisciplinary teams is less clear.

INCLUSION CRITERIA: The populations of interest in this review are healthcare providers, including hospital specialists, general practitioners, nurses, health workers, pharmacists, allied health workers, aged care workers, Indigenous health workers and health promotion workers. The phenomena of interest are attitudes, beliefs, expectations, understandings, perceptions and experiences of the populations of interest arising from experiencing, developing or implementing strategies that have or could support the integration of pharmacists into multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

METHODS: The databases to be searched include PubMed, Cochrane, EBSCO (CINAHL), EMBASE, MedNar, Trove and Australian Indigenous Health Infonet. Studies published from 2011 onwards and in English will be considered for inclusion. Selected studies will be assessed for methodological quality by two independent reviewers, using standardized critical appraisal instruments. Where possible, qualitative research findings will be pooled. Where textual pooling is not possible, the findings will be presented in narrative form.