Synergistic Care in General Medicine: Leveraging the Nurse-Pharmacist Partnership to Improve Safety, Efficacy, and Outcomes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64483/jmph-80Keywords:
Coordinated care, nurse-pharmacist collaboration, general medicine, chronic disease management, medication adherence.Abstract
Background: Coordinated care models integrating nursing and pharmacy services are increasingly prominent in general medicine to meet the rising challenges of managing chronic diseases, medication adherence, and transitions in care. Such models leverage the synergistic knowledge base of nurses and pharmacists to maximize patient outcomes and health care effectiveness. Aim: This systematic review synthesizes existing evidence on nurse-pharmacist collaboration models and their structure, execution, outcomes, and challenges in the broader medicine departments. Methods: A scoping review was conducted through PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and ProQuest, and peer-reviewed articles between the years 2015 to 2025. Keywords "coordinated care," "nurse-pharmacist collaboration," and "general medicine" were utilized. Inclusion criteria were empirical studies and systematic reviews that talked about nursing-pharmacy integration and thematic analysis. Results: Results highlight four collaboration models—team-based care, parallel processes, case management, and integrated care—with improved medication adherence (20% hypertension improvement), reduced hospital readmissions (15% for heart failure), improved control of chronic conditions (1.2% decrease in HbA1c), and improved patient satisfaction (25% CAHPS score improvement). The impediments are fragmentation, training, and interoperability. Conclusions: Nurse-pharmacist collaboration significantly enhances patient-centered care, but system barriers must be overcome through standardized education, compatible technologies, and policies to realize maximum benefits.
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