Theory-driven implementation and evaluation of pharmacy services can enhance their contribution to overall healthcare. As complex interventions most pharmacy practice programmes and services will be adopted and modified during their implementation into various healthcare contexts and systems. Realist approaches to theory-driven evaluation consider these variations in programmes, interventions and the contexts of their implementation and establish theories on how they work best, for whom and why. This paper illustrates the practical application of the realist philosophy of science to pharmacy practice relevant areas of healthcare using two case studies, a realist synthesis of existing literature on medication reviews and a realist review and evaluation related to medicines management. Applying realist logic establishes causative explanations of what could be essential factors in the success of programmes, enabling policy makers in their decision-making and pharmacy practice researchers as well as practitioners in optimising service design.

药学服务的理论驱动实施和评估可以增强其对整体医疗保健的贡献。作为复杂的干预措施，大多数药学实践计划和服务将在其实施过程中被采用和修改到各种医疗保健环境和系统中。理论驱动评估的现实主义方法考虑了计划、干预措施及其实施背景中的这些变化，并建立了关于它们如何发挥最佳作用、为谁以及为什么发挥作用的理论。本文通过两个案例研究，对现有药物评论文献的现实综合和与药物管理相关的现实主义评论和评估，说明了现实主义科学哲学在医疗保健相关领域的药学实践中的实际应用。