A systematic review of the valuable roles of community pharmacists in colorectal cancer screening across various countries.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health concern, for which early screening is crucial, although overall participation rates remain insufficient. Due to their frequent contact with patient, pharmacists are well positioned to improve CRC screening uptake. Yet, their roles and added value are not clearly evaluated.<h4>Objective</h4>This systematic review was performed to determine and assess pharmacists' contributions to CRC screening across different countries.<h4>Methods</h4>Following PRISMA guidelines, a literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar. Mesh terms and keywords were used, targeting major themes in the literature: "Pharmacy", "Colorectal Cancer", and "Screening". Data from relevant articles were independently reviewed, extracted, and assessed by two reviewers.<h4>Results</h4>Thirty-eight articles met the eligibility criteria: 35 (92.1 %) observational articles and 3 (7.9 %) reviews. Six major pharmacist contributions emerged for improving the CRC screening: (i) promoting CRC education and awareness, (ii) delivering comprehensive CRC screening practices, (iii) offering personalized support and guidance for patients, (iv) monitoring patient participation in the CRC screening process, (v) contributing to research and evidence generation for CRC screening, and (vi) optimizing collaboration strategies with Primary Care Providers (PCPs). These contributions are mainly from North America and Europe, representing 79.0 % of the data.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Pharmacists contributions appeared valuable across healthcare systems, when appropriately recognized, supported, and remunerated.