Wayne State Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Detroit, MI.
Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA.
Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2024 Jun 11;81(12):539-545. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxae020.
To evaluate pharmacists' perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to telehealth as experienced in actual telehealth visits with patients.
This qualitative study used virtual focus groups and a validated questionnaire (the Health Optimum Telemedicine Acceptance [HOTA] survey) to assess telehealth facilitators and barriers. Participants were included if they were licensed pharmacists utilizing telehealth in the outpatient setting. Pharmacist focus group responses were transcribed and analyzed using Miles and Huberman's qualitative data analysis model.
Six pharmacists participated in this study. Their responses were placed into 2 categories: clinical effectiveness and patient experience. All participants had performed at least 20 virtual visits, and all agreed that telehealth improved patients' health status. Respondents agreed that telehealth results in more frequent patient interactions and allows for provision of multiple types of care virtually. However, technological difficulties and the inability to provide physical examinations and obtain laboratory values were identified limitations. The surveyed pharmacists agreed that the main benefit that patients gained from telehealth was the elimination of transportation concerns, allowing increased access to care. However, pharmacists voiced their concern for patient privacy and barriers to educating patients on proper use of medical devices.
Pharmacists felt that telehealth was useful in several clinical scenarios. However, they also identified opportunities to improve its development in clinical practice. Further investigation must be done to better grasp impediments to telehealth in order to provide the most effective patient care.
评估药剂师在实际远程患者就诊中对远程医疗的益处和障碍的看法。
本定性研究使用虚拟焦点小组和经过验证的问卷（健康最优远程医疗接受度调查[HOTA]）来评估远程医疗的促进因素和障碍。如果是在门诊环境中利用远程医疗的持照药剂师，则纳入参与者。对药剂师焦点小组的回复进行转录和分析，采用 Miles 和 Huberman 的定性数据分析模型。
共有 6 名药剂师参加了这项研究。他们的回复被分为两类：临床效果和患者体验。所有参与者都进行了至少 20 次虚拟访问，他们都同意远程医疗改善了患者的健康状况。受访者一致认为，远程医疗可以更频繁地与患者互动，并可以远程提供多种类型的护理。然而，技术困难和无法进行身体检查以及获取实验室值被认为是限制因素。调查的药剂师一致认为，患者从远程医疗中获得的主要益处是消除了交通问题，从而增加了获得护理的机会。但是，药剂师表示了对患者隐私的担忧，以及在教育患者正确使用医疗器械方面存在障碍。
药剂师认为远程医疗在几种临床情况下很有用。但是，他们也确定了在临床实践中改进其发展的机会。必须进一步进行调查，以更好地了解远程医疗的障碍，从而提供最有效的患者护理。
