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Community Health Outreach Services: Focus on Pharmacy-Based Outreach Programs in Low- to Middle-Income Countries

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Encyclopedia of Evidence in Pharmaceutical Public Health and Health Services Research in Pharmacy

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Abstract

Community outreach service encompasses the provision of healthcare services by health professionals in locations other than where they principally practice. The principal target areas for outreach services include rural and remote communities as well as other vulnerable populations such as immigrants and underserved populations. Therefore, outreach services are typically provided in locations where the need for access to health services is higher. However, increasingly, community outreach services, especially those related to health promotion and disease prevention, are commonly provided in cities and urban areas and targeting all populations. The primary purpose of these services is to increase access to healthcare that the targeted community or population in question would not normally have. Pharmacy in general, and public health pharmacy in particular, plays an important role in the provision of community outreach services either singly or through a multidisciplinary approach. In low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), such outreach activities are not as widely available as they are in the developed world. This entry is primarily intended to provide a general overview of community outreach programs provided by pharmacy professionals and to document the status of such programs from the context of LMIC. Overall, pharmacists in different care settings can play an important role in proving care through community outreach programs. Public health pharmacy can make a significant impact in improving health outcomes through community outreach services in LMICs. Some of the major barriers in developing and implementing effective pharmacy-based community outreach activities in developing countries include resource constraints, especially lack of facilities and limited human resource for health. Efforts should be made to encourage the development and provision of such services, especially among the underserved and vulnerable populations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Hager ElGeed & Ahmed Awaisu

  2. Continuing Professional Development, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Doha, Qatar

    Phyllis Muffuh Navti

Authors
  1. Hager ElGeed
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  2. Phyllis Muffuh Navti
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  3. Ahmed Awaisu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmed Awaisu .

Section Editor information

  1. College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim

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ElGeed, H., Navti, P.M., Awaisu, A. (2022). Community Health Outreach Services: Focus on Pharmacy-Based Outreach Programs in Low- to Middle-Income Countries. In: Encyclopedia of Evidence in Pharmaceutical Public Health and Health Services Research in Pharmacy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50247-8_37-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50247-8_37-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-50247-8

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