Evidence-Based Pharmacy Practice Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Issues, Challenges and Synthesis

This chapter outlines the gaps in pharmacy practice research evidence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) using selected systematic reviews in pharmacy practice. Very few reviews dedicated to LMICs have been conducted. The gaps related to quantity of evidence (i.e., number of studies and countries involved), practice diversity (i.e., hospital, community, and public health pharmacies), and quality of evidence (i.e., type of evidence levels and their scores) were determined. Recommendations include capacity building and resource strengthening with respect to systematic reviews and health care/clinical trials, mobilization of funding, and promotion of collaborative research. Moreover, interactive research domains such as action research, translation research, and intervention research should be encouraged.