Bridging the continuity: Practice-enhancing publications about the ambulatory care medication-use process in 2023.

Abstract

Purpose: This article identifies, summarizes, and prioritizes published literature on the ambulatory care medication-use process (ACMUP) from 2023 that can describe ambulatory pharmacy practice. The medication-use process is the foundational system that provides the framework for safe medication utilization within the healthcare environment. The ACMUP is defined in this article as having the following components: transitions of care, prescribing, access, dispensing, adherence, and evaluating. Articles evaluating at least one step of the ACMUP were assessed for their usefulness toward practice improvement.

Summary: A PubMed search was conducted in January 2024 for the publication year 2023 using targeted Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) keywords and the table of contents of selected pharmacy journals, providing a total of 2,903 articles. A thorough review identified 52 potentially practice-enhancing articles: 6 for transitions of care, 11 for prescribing, 5 for access, 6 for dispensing, 8 for adherence, and 16 articles for evaluating. Trends gleaned from the highest-impact articles are described.

Conclusion: It is important to routinely review the published literature and to incorporate significant findings into daily practice. This article continues a series of articles defining and evaluating the currently published literature around the ACMUP. As healthcare continues to advance and care shifts to ambulatory settings, the ACMUP will continue to be a crucial process to evaluate.