Objective: This systematic review aims to investigate the role and responsibilities of pharmacists in the prevention of medication errors. The study also aims to evaluate pharmacist-centered strategies that have an impact on medication error reduction and prevention. Methods: A search was conducted through the following databases PubMed Central, Scopus, Trip, Prospero, Medline and Google Scholar using terms related to “medication errors prevention” or “pharmacist-related errors”. Other search terms included “pharmacist(s)”, “prevention”, “medication error(s)”, “dispensing error(s)”, “drug incidence(s)”, “medication malpractice(s)”. Included studies were prospective and retrospective cohort, case-control and cross-sectional full-text studies published in the last 10 years (2010-2020). The review team screened the articles for inclusion criteria and evaluated the quality of the articles. The PRISMA guidelines were used to report the selected articles and screening process. Then, the articles were sent to a third independent reviewer for the quality assessment using the STROBE Checklist. Results: A clinical pharmacist’s duties are to supervise the medication treatment of admitted patients and to notify the healthcare team when a discrepancy is found. A total of seven reviewed studies highlighted the importance and positive impact of increasing the number of clinical pharmacist’s interventions. Literature showed that an average of 64.9% of medication discrepancies happen during patient discharge, highlighting the necessity of a clinical pharmacist intervention at that stage. The systematic review focused on the significant impact of clinical pharmacists’ role in preventing errors (studies reported=5); encouraging pharmacist-led education to increase medication error awareness (studies reported =5), incorporating better and innovative pharmacy-related work approaches (studies reported =4); and implementing appropriate and secured policies for medication error reporting (studies reported =1). The screened literature highlighted the significant reduction in the number of medication errors and an increase in medication error identification and awareness. These findings suggest the crucial role of a pharmacist in healthcare policies for the prevention of medication errors and patient safety. Conclusion: This systematic review suggests multiple pharmacist-centered strategies that have been implemented in several studies showing the positive impact on the reduction and prevention of medication errors commenced by not only the pharmacist but the rest of the healthcare team.

This study was undertaken to investigate in-depth the factors impacting job satisfaction among pharmacists in the Arab world and the challenges they encounter in their career path. The outcome of this study should help the local policymakers to take corrective actions to improve pharmacist’s satisfaction and therefore enhance quality of patient care. This qualitative study collected responses of pharmacists from 12 Arab countries, as part of a large quantitative survey. Participants added comments to an optional open-ended question regarding work satisfaction. The Qualtrics Survey Software was used to collect the responses. The survey was distributed from March to May 2021 through multiple online channels for filling. The responses collected were analysed to develop themes. An inductive constructivist approach was used for the conceptual thematic analysis as the methodological orientation. A total of 110 responses/comments were received from the study participants. The two largest practice settings of the participants were from hospitals (44.5%) and community pharmacies (28.2%). Almost 40% of responses came from pharmacists practising in Qatar (21.8%) and UAE (18.1%). The survey data demonstrated several reasons impacting job satisfaction among pharmacists practising in the Arab countries. Underestimation of the pharmacists' role, low salaries, lack of motivation and excessive workload were reported as major contributors to job dissatisfaction. On the other hand, professional commitment and the culture of the work setting were the major contributors to job satisfaction. The study provides valuable insights into the aspects concerning pharmacists’ satisfaction in the Arab world. Policymakers and other stakeholders need to act upon aspects of pharmacists’ job satisfaction and dissatisfaction to ensure potentially better working environment and patient outcomes.

End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a growing problem. The effect of patient counseling is to be defined on health-related quality of life. The purpose of this study was to find out the impact of patient counseling in health related quality of life (QoL). In this prospective interventional study, the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) for QoL questionnaire was used in test and control groups for data collection. The same data collection method was used during six months to study the effect of patient counseling. Health related quality of life in test group showed a consistent improvement of 2% in six months. Improvement of awareness by patient counseling was also improved. As part of medication therapy management (MTM), patient counseling focusing on dialysis compliance, diet and medications are an effective way to improve health-related QoL and awareness in ESRD. Such services should be made mandatory by law in India to improve outcomes in chronic illness.