Does drug dispensing influence patients' medication knowledge and medication adherence? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Inadequate medication knowledge and medication nonadherence by patients are considered an issue in healthcare, as they can lead to negative outcomes, such as therapeutic failures and hospitalization. Even though drug dispensing, which has pharmacist counseling as a core element, is a service traditionally performed by pharmacists, there is still no evidence about the influence of this service on these health outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of drug dispensing on patients' medication knowledge and medication adherence.