PHARMACIST-BASED PRIMARY CARE: A CASE STUDY OF BRAZILIAN PRACTICE DURING THE PANDEMIC

Abstract

The study analyzes the role of pharmacists in Brazilian primary care during the pandemic, highlighting how these professionals assumed essential clinical, educational, and organizational functions to ensure continuity of care in a period marked by sanitary instability and high service demand. The literature review shows that pharmacists helped qualify medication use, guide patients, reorganize internal workflows, strengthen health education actions, and support individuals with chronic conditions, reducing risks and promoting interventions aligned with the population’s emerging needs. Evidence indicates that practices such as telepharmacy, pharmacotherapeutic review, supply management, and community-oriented communication became important for maintaining therapeutic safety and increasing the effectiveness of health services. The pandemic underscored the importance of integrating pharmacists strategically into multidisciplinary teams, revealing that their actions are vital in structuring services, preventing clinical deterioration, and reinforcing public health policies. The findings emphasize that valuing pharmacists is essential for consolidating more efficient, human-centered, and sustainable models of care within primary health systems.