The Impact of Clinical Pharmacist-Led Interventions on Medication Safety and Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Medication-related harm remains a major patient safety concern across healthcare settings. Clinical pharmacists increasingly contribute to medication optimization through medication review, reconciliation, patient education, therapeutic monitoring, and collaboration with multidisciplinary healthcare teams. Objective: This systematic review aims to evaluate the impact of clinical pharmacist-led interventions on medication safety and patient outcomes and to identify intervention approaches associated with improved clinical care. Methods: A systematic search will be conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane CENTRAL for eligible studies published between 2015 and 2026. Studies evaluating clinical pharmacist-led interventions against usual care or other comparators will be included. Primary outcomes will include medication errors, adverse drug events, drug-related problems, and medication discrepancies. Secondary outcomes will include hospital readmission, length of stay, mortality, medication adherence, and quality of life. Study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment will be performed systematically in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidance. Results: The review will synthesize evidence regarding the effectiveness of pharmacist-led interventions across intervention types, patient populations, and healthcare settings. Conclusion: The findings are expected to clarify the contribution of clinical pharmacists to medication safety and patient outcomes and inform clinical practice, healthcare policy, and future research.