This post translates the July 31, 2026 PLOS One scoping review into actionable guidance for qualitative researchers and veterinary teams working on interprofessional practice. The primary keyword is veterinarian-pharmacist collaboration and the payoff is explicit: extract the review's core numbers, timelines, and quotes, then learn how AI-enabled qualitative analysis can accelerate synthesis and cross-language discovery for follow-up research. According to the PLOS One scoping review (Kambayashi et al., 2026), the literature base is small but measurable, and targeted qualitative methods can reveal practice models, barriers, and training needs fast. The following sections are optimized for researchers who must convert heterogeneous surveys, short qualitative interviews, and non-English reports into reproducible themes and evidence-informed recommendations.
Key Takeaways
According to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026), a scoping review that searched databases through 30 August 2025 screened 239 records and included 16 studies to map veterinarian-pharmacist collaboration.
- 239 records were retrieved and screened, and 16 studies published between 2007 and 2024 met inclusion criteria, according to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026).
- Pharmacists' most frequently reported role was compounding and dispensing, identified in 10 of 16 studies (62.5%), as reported in PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026).
- The review was published on July 31, 2026 and concluded: "Pharmacists are expanding their role in veterinary medicine, evolving from traditional dispensing functions to active contributors to clinical care and medication safety, " (Kambayashi et al., PLOS One, 2026).
- A recurrent barrier is the perceived "knowledge gap" about species-specific physiology, which limited clinical trust between veterinarians and pharmacists in multiple countries, according to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026).
What happened and how the review was done
This scoping review synthesized global evidence by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Ichushi-Web, and Google Scholar and completed its final search on 30 August 2025, according to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026).
According to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026), the authors identified 239 records, removed 58 duplicates, screened 181 records at title/abstract, assessed 47 full texts, and included 16 studies published from 2007 to 2024.
According to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026), studies were concentrated in the United States (n = 7), New Zealand (n = 3), and Japan (n = 3), and most used cross-sectional survey designs focused on compounding, drug information, and inventory roles.
Findings snapshot
| Date | Metric | Value | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Aug 2025 | Records retrieved | 239 | Comprehensive search but limited yield of empirical studies |
| 2007–2024 | Included studies | 16 | Small evidence base, ripe for qualitative synthesis and primary research |
| Published Jul 31, 2026 | Dominant pharmacist role | Compounding/dispensing in 10/16 studies (62.5%) | Practice-centered contributions dominate over clinical integration |
| 2007–2024 | Drug information role | 6/16 studies (37.5%) | Pharmacists often act as information resources rather than clinicians |
| 2007–2024 | Regions with most studies | United States (7), New Zealand (3), Japan (3) | Regional models vary; translation and local policy matter |
Implications for veterinary researchers and qualitative teams
Use targeted qualitative methods to convert perception-based evidence into practice-ready recommendations, because PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026) found most studies relied on surveys and interviews rather than objective clinical outcomes.
- Design mixed-methods follow-ups that link perceptions to measurable outcomes, because the PLOS One review (Kambayashi et al., 2026) identified a lack of quantitative outcome studies assessing pharmacist impact.
- Prioritize cross-language document retrieval and translation, because the PLOS One review (Kambayashi et al., 2026) noted non-English contributions (Japan, n = 3) that offer distinct models.
- Focus early qualitative sampling on high-value settings such as university hospitals, zoos, and oncology centers, because PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026) reports pharmacists are more readily accepted in specialized environments.
How Evidano helps researchers studying veterinarian-pharmacist collaboration
Problem: fragmented, multi-language qualitative evidence
Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents.
Evidano ingests PDFs, interview transcripts, and spreadsheets, which is useful because the PLOS One review (Kambayashi et al., 2026) relied on heterogeneous sources and noted language barriers that obscure practice models.
Evidano capability: use Evidano features for thematic coding, automated frequency and cross-segment analysis, and AI chat-over-documents to surface patterns across studies and gray literature.
Problem: non-English studies and translation needs
Evidano provides in-platform translation tools and custom dictionaries to standardize terminology across English and Japanese sources, addressing the PLOS One finding that Japanese-language studies contained distinct practice models (Kambayashi et al., 2026).
Evidano capability: use Evidano translation to accelerate access to Ichushi-Web reports and other non-English gray literature while preserving technical terms for accurate thematic synthesis.
Problem: small, dispersed evidence that needs rapid synthesis
Evidano automates thematic and cross-segment analyses so teams can move from perception-based survey themes to prioritized research questions for quantitative follow-up, which the PLOS One review (Kambayashi et al., 2026) recommended.
Evidano capability: combine document ingestion, AI-assisted coding, and visualizations to produce reproducible synthesis reports suitable for funders, curriculum designers, and hospital committees.
FAQ: veterinarian-pharmacist collaboration
What evidence exists for pharmacist roles in veterinary medicine?
Answer: The best-available evidence is a small, geographically varied set of empirical studies summarized in a PLOS One scoping review (Kambayashi et al., 2026).
Supporting detail: According to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026), the review included 16 studies published 2007–2024 and found compounding/dispensing in 62.5% of reports and drug information services in 37.5%.
What are the main barriers to clinical integration of pharmacists?
Answer: The primary barrier is veterinarians' concern about pharmacists' species-specific knowledge, described as a "knowledge gap" in the PLOS One review (Kambayashi et al., 2026).
Supporting detail: According to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026), fears of unauthorized substitutions and unapproved dose changes drive caution in delegating clinical tasks to pharmacists.
Where should qualitative researchers focus next?
Answer: Prioritize in-depth qualitative studies in specialized settings and cross-language synthesis, because the PLOS One review (Kambayashi et al., 2026) highlights veterinary hospitals, zoos, and university centers as high-yield contexts.
Supporting detail: According to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026), pharmacist roles in oncology and zoological medicine show greater acceptance and offer measurable safety and system benefits.
How can teams address the educational gap described in the review?
Answer: Develop targeted veterinary pharmacotherapy modules and experiential placements for pharmacists, because the PLOS One review (Kambayashi et al., 2026) recommends specialized education to build trust.
Supporting detail: According to PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026), pharmacy curricula and continuing education must incorporate veterinary physiology and species-specific pharmacology to enable clinical collaboration.
Conclusion & Next Steps
The PLOS One scoping review (Kambayashi et al., 2026) documents a small but actionable evidence base: 239 records screened, 16 included studies, and dominant roles in compounding (62.5%).
Researchers should prioritize cross-language qualitative synthesis and targeted fieldwork in specialty settings to convert perceptions into measurable outcomes, as recommended by PLOS One (Kambayashi et al., 2026).
If you need to accelerate thematic coding, translate non-English reports, or produce reproducible synthesis tables from interviews and surveys, use a platform that supports document ingestion, AI-assisted coding, and visualization.
To try these workflows yourself, Try Evidano for free.