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COVID-19 host genetic risk study conducted at community pharmacies: Implications for public health, research and pharmacists' scope of practice.

ABSTRACT: Community pharmacists serve a large, diverse population of patients, resulting in the potential to utilize community pharmacies as recruitment sites for clinical research. Beyond traditional roles as one of the most accessible health care professionals in the US healthcare system, pharmacists have played a major role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, administering hundreds of thousands of vaccines and tests. However, less emphasis is placed on the ability to leverage community pharmacies as research-focused partners for clinical studies. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility and workflow of recruiting study participants from community pharmacies and confirm genetic markers of COVID-19 susceptibility. Specific genetic markers include those associated with COVID-19 infection risk (ACE2, TMEM27, and RAVER1), difficulty breathing (NOTCH4), and hospitalization (OAS3). In addition, collaboration with a clinical laboratory allowed for a more seamless consenting process without substantial training needs or workflow disruption at the community pharmacy site. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the expansion of pharmacists' scope of practice is a key factor in managing the population health crisis; this study demonstrates that pharmacies can also advance clinical research studies by serving as sites for patient recruitment from a large, diverse, and ambulatory study population.

SUBMITTER: Beam TA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10264161 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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COVID-19 host genetic risk study conducted at community pharmacies: Implications for public health, research and pharmacists' scope of practice.

Beam Teresa A TA Klepser Donald G DG Klepser Michael E ME Bright David R DR Klepser Nicklas N Schuring Hannah H Wheeler Stephanie S Langerveld Anna A

Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP 20230614 10

Community pharmacists serve a large, diverse population of patients, resulting in the potential to utilize community pharmacies as recruitment sites for clinical research. Beyond traditional roles as one of the most accessible health care professionals in the US healthcare system, pharmacists have played a major role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, administering hundreds of thousands of vaccines and tests. However, less emphasis is placed on the ability to leverage community pharmacies ...[more]

PMID: 37567834

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Project description:BackgroundThere has been rapid development and application of digital technologies in public health domains, which are considered to have the potential to transform public health. However, this growing interest in digital technologies in public health has not been accompanied by a clarity of scope to guide policy, practice, and research in this rapidly emergent field.ObjectiveThis scoping review seeks to determine the scope of digital health as described by public health researchers and practitioners and to consolidate a conceptual framework of digital public health.MethodsThe review follows Arksey and O'Malley's framework for conducting scoping reviews with improvements as suggested by Levac et al. The search strategy will be applied to Embase, Medline, and Google Scholar. A grey literature search will be conducted on intergovernmental agency websites and country-specific websites. Titles and abstracts will be reviewed by independent reviewers, while full-text reviews will be conducted by 2 reviewers to determine eligibility based on prespecified inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data will be coded in an iterative approach using the best-fit framework analysis methodology.ResultsThis research project received funding from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Foundation for Population and Public Health on January 1, 2020. The initial search was conducted on June 1, 2020 and returned 6953 articles in total. After deduplication, 4523 abstracts were reviewed, and 227 articles have been included in the review. Ethical approval is not required for this review as it uses publicly available data.ConclusionsWe anticipate that the findings of the scoping review will contribute relevant evidence to health policy makers and public health practitioners involved in planning, funding, and delivering health services that leverage digital technologies. Results of the review will be strategically disseminated through publications in scientific journals, conferences, and engagement with relevant stakeholders.International registered report identifier (irrid)DERR1-10.2196/27686.

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COVID-19 host genetic risk study conducted at community pharmacies: Implications for public health, research and pharmacists' scope of practice.

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COVID-19 host genetic risk study conducted at community pharmacies: Implications for public health, research and pharmacists' scope of practice.

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