The Role of Community Pharmacists in Identifying and Managing Insomnia and Facilitating Access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) – a Systematic Review
Abstract
Background: Insomnia affects approximately 10% of the global adult population, leading to progressive health complications. As community pharmacists' roles evolve, their role in managing insomnia remains limited.
Objectives: To review and evaluate the evidence on the role of community pharmacists in the management of chronic insomnia, including their role in facilitating cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).
Methods: A review of databases including PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science was conducted from inception to August 2025. Studies examining community pharmacists’ involvement in chronic insomnia management which met the inclusion criteria were narratively reviewed.
Key findings: Of 129 articles screened, nine met the inclusion criteria. Three main themes emerged: community pharmacists could identify insomnia through patient counselling, deprescribe inappropriate hypnotics and sedatives, and, in some settings, deliver or signpost patients to CBT-I. One study reported a significant reduction in Insomnia Severity Index scores from 18.2 to 7.9 (p < 0.001), following pharmacist-led cognitive behavioural therapy. However, implementation was limited by a lack of standardised protocols, defined referral pathways and time constraints.
Conclusions: Community pharmacists can contribute to chronic insomnia management and improve access to evidence-based care, but this has not been widely adopted. This review highlights a gap between pharmacists’ capability and ability to implement such services. Recommendations include standardised approaches for insomnia screening, defined referral pathways and sustainable funding models. Addressing these barriers could enable community pharmacists to improve insomnia management.
Keywords: CBT-I | sleep | insomnia | community pharmacist | cognitive behavioural therapy | pharmacy practice
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BibTeX
@misc{ogunnowo2026role,
title = {{The Role of Community Pharmacists in Identifying and Managing Insomnia and Facilitating Access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) – a Systematic Review}},
author = {Adebunmi Ogunnowo and Sukvinder Kaur Bhamra and Gurprit Lall and Aiste Steponenaite},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/vax57_v2},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/vax57_v2/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The Role of Community Pharmacists in Identifying and Managing Insomnia and Facilitating Access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) – a Systematic Review
AU - Adebunmi Ogunnowo
AU - Sukvinder Kaur Bhamra
AU - Gurprit Lall
AU - Aiste Steponenaite
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/vax57_v2
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/vax57_v2/
AB - Background: Insomnia affects approximately 10% of the global adult population, leading to progressive health complications. As community pharmacists' roles evolve, their role in managing insomnia remains limited. Objectives: To review and evaluate the evidence on the role of community pharmacists in the management of chronic insomnia, including their role in facilitating cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Methods: A review of databases including PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science was conducted from inception to August 2025. Studies examining community pharmacists’ involvement in chronic insomnia management which met the inclusion criteria were narratively reviewed. Key findings: Of 129 articles screened, nine met the inclusion criteria. Three main themes emerged: community pharmacists could identify insomnia through patient counselling, deprescribe inappropriate hypnotics and sedatives, and, in some settings, deliver or signpost patients to CBT-I. One study reported a significant reduction in Insomnia Severity Index scores from 18.2 to 7.9 (p < 0.001), following pharmacist-led cognitive behavioural therapy. However, implementation was limited by a lack of standardised protocols, defined referral pathways and time constraints. Conclusions: Community pharmacists can contribute to chronic insomnia management and improve access to evidence-based care, but this has not been widely adopted. This review highlights a gap between pharmacists’ capability and ability to implement such services. Recommendations include standardised approaches for insomnia screening, defined referral pathways and sustainable funding models. Addressing these barriers could enable community pharmacists to improve insomnia management. Keywords: CBT-I | sleep | insomnia | community pharmacist | cognitive behavioural therapy | pharmacy practice
ER -