A systematic review of pharmacy health coaching and an evaluation of patient outcomes

Background: Pharmacy health coaching is a nascent topic offering promise on several fronts. There is considerable benefit to discerning the contributions thus far and future directions of pharmacy health coaching and research of the topic. Objective: The objective of this review was to synthesize the available empirical evidence regarding pharmacy health coaching and to define it. Methods: This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines. CINHAL, EMBASE, PubMed, PsychINFO and SCOPUS) were searched (2000-2017) to identify sources related to pharmacy health coaching. Included articles were reviewed for their definition and outcomes of health coaching as well as recurring terms/themes pertaining to health coaching. Results: Ten papers met the eligibility criteria. The results of each empirical study as well as the definitions were used to identify the key outcomes associated with pharmacy health coaching and were then cross tabulated. The most commonly occurring outcome of health coaching was an improvement in a health outcome of a target population. An improvement in medication management/adherence and the relationship between health professionals was equally evident. Lastly, an improved attitude towards drug therapy was referred to more often than the cost-effectiveness of health coaching. Conclusions: The evaluations enabled the formulation of a grounded definition of health coaching.