Hursman Allison, Vang Chapleur, Thooft Taylor, Stone Kirsten
Population Health, Essentia Health, Fargo, ND, USA.
School of Pharmacy, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA.
J Pharm Technol. 2024 Apr;40(2):66-71. doi: 10.1177/87551225231222426. Epub 2024 Jan 31.
Telepharmacy, which utilizes telecommunication technology to provide pharmaceutical care remotely, has gained significance in expanding access to pharmacists, particularly in areas with limited health care facility access. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its restrictions on in-person interactions, underscored the importance of telepharmacy in ensuring continuity of care. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of telepharmacy on the delivery of clinical pharmacy services before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores the use of telepharmacy in delivering medication therapy management (MTM), chronic disease management (CDM), chronic opioid analgesic therapy (COAT), and transitions of care (TCM) visits. Data from electronic health records (EHRs) was collected to analyze the number referrals, number and type of visits, mode of visits, and locations served using correlations and descriptive statistics. The findings indicate an increase in the number of referrals and visits following the pandemic, with a shift toward telepharmacy visits. The study highlights the convenience and accessibility provided by telepharmacy, resulting in improved patient access to clinical pharmacy services at 1 Midwest health system following the COVID-19 pandemic. The continued use of telepharmacy is important to ensure that patients, especially those in rural locations, have access to health care services and can be a positive factor in growing clinical pharmacy services.
远程药学利用电信技术远程提供药学服务，在扩大药剂师服务范围方面具有重要意义，尤其是在医疗设施有限的地区。2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）疫情对面对面交流的限制凸显了远程药学在确保护理连续性方面的重要性。本研究的目的是确定COVID-19大流行前后远程药学对临床药学服务提供的影响。本研究探讨了远程药学在提供药物治疗管理（MTM）、慢性病管理（CDM）、慢性阿片类镇痛治疗（COAT）和护理过渡（TCM）就诊方面的应用。收集电子健康记录（EHR）中的数据，使用相关性和描述性统计分析转诊数量、就诊数量和类型、就诊方式以及服务地点。研究结果表明，疫情后转诊和就诊数量有所增加，且就诊方式向远程药学转变。该研究强调了远程药学提供的便利性和可及性，使得COVID-19大流行后中西部一家医疗系统的患者获得临床药学服务的机会得到改善。持续使用远程药学对于确保患者，尤其是农村地区的患者能够获得医疗服务非常重要，并且可能成为临床药学服务发展的一个积极因素。
