Abstract
Introduction: According to the literature, clinical services provided by pharmacists have been important for optimizing medication use and promoting people's health. Therefore, pharmacists must have technical and behavioral competencies grounded in professionalism, which is defined as a set of behaviors, attitudes, values, and interactions that enable professionals to fulfill their social role. Although recognition of pharmacists working in community pharmacies for healthcare has increased in recent years, few studies explore the factors that facilitate or hinder the expression of professionalism in these settings. Objective: To identify the factors that influence pharmacist professionalism in community pharmacies. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the guidelines established by PRISMA and JBI. The literature search was performed in July 2024 in the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, EMBASE, and LILACS, using standardized and nonstandardized terms related to “Pharmacists,” “Professionalism,” and “Pharmacies.” The studies were independently examined by two researchers, and disagreements were resolved by consensus. The following data were extracted: author, year of publication, participants, assessment methods, influencing factors, and main results. The classification of factors was performed according to the APOTECA framework, consisting of four domains: Attitudinal, Political, Technical, and Administrative. Results and Conclusion: After screening, five studies were eligible and included in this review. The participants were community pharmacists (n=43), pharmacy staff (n=57), patients (n=38), and retail stakeholders (n=24). Three studies were conducted through semistructured interviews, one through a focus group, and one through a nominal group. Forty themes were described, with the following standing out: pharmacist's role (n=3), organizational context of the pharmacy (n=3), interactions with patients (n=2), accessibility (n=2), and environment (n=2). Regarding influencing factors, the Technical domain was the most prevalent among the studies (n=5), followed by Attitudinal (n=4), Administrative (n=4), and Political (n=3). The main influencing factors were: gaps in academic training and autonomy (Technical); presence of unethical attitudes and deficiencies in soft skills (Attitudinal); insufficient human resources and poor working conditions (Administrative); and deficiencies in legislation and professional guidance (Political). To meet the new demands of the profession, pharmacists must develop professionalism. In the context of community pharmacy, this requires strengthening technical, attitudinal, and administrative competencies in the face of challenges in training, lack of autonomy, and poor working conditions. Thus, it is suggested that managers and pharmacists adopt integrated strategies involving education, regulation, and management.
