Begoña Tortajada-Goitia1, Ramón Morillo-Verdugo2, Luis Margusino-Framiñán3, José Antonio Marcos4, Cecilia M Fernández-Llamazares5. 1. Pharmacy and Nutrition Area, Agencia Sanitaria Costa del Sol, Marbella (Málaga). Spain.. btortaj@gmail.com. 2. Hospital Universitario Virgen de Valme, Área de Gestión Sanitaria Sur de Sevilla, Sevilla. Spain.. btortaj@gmail.com. 3. Pharmacy Department, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, A Coruña. Spain.. btortaj@gmail.com. 4. Pharmacy Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Sevilla. Spain.. btortaj@gmail.com. 5. Pharmacy Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid. Spain.. btortaj@gmail.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the status of the implementation and development of telepharmacy as applied to the pharmaceutical care of outpatients treated at hospital pharmacy services in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Six weeks after the beginning of the confinement period, an online 10- question survey was sent to all members of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacists. A single response per hospital was requested. The survey included questions on the provision of remote pharmaceutical care prior to the onset of the health crisis, patient selection criteria, procedures for home delivery of medications and the means used to deliver them, the number of patients who benefited from telepharmacy, and the number of referrals made. Finally, respondents were asked whether a teleconsultation was carried out before sending patients their medication and whether these deliveries were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 39.3% (n = 185) of all the hospitals in the National Health System (covering all of Spain's autonomous regions) responded to the survey. Before the beginning of the crisis, 83.2% (n = 154) of hospital pharmacy services did not carry out remote pharmaceutical care activities that included telepharmacy with remote delivery of medication. During the study period, 119,972 patients were treated, with 134,142 deliveries of medication being completed. Most hospitals did not use patient selection criteria. A total of 30.2% of hospitals selected patients based on their personal circumstances. Home delivery and informed delivery (87%; 116,129 deliveries) was the option used in most cases. The means used to deliver the medication mainly included the use of external courier services (47.0%; 87 hospitals) or the hospital's own transport services (38.4%; 71 hospitals). As many as 87.6% of hospitals carried out teleconsultations prior to sending out medications and 59.6% recorded their telepharmacy activities in the hospital pharmacy appointments record. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of implementation of telepharmacy in outpatient care in Spain during the study period in the pandemic was high. This made it possible to guarantee the continuity of care for a large number of patients. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the status of the implementation and development of telepharmacy as applied to the pharmaceutical care of outpatients treated at hospital pharmacy services in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Six weeks after the beginning of the confinement period, an online 10- question survey was sent to all members of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacists. A single response per hospital was requested. The survey included questions on the provision of remote pharmaceutical care prior to the onset of the health crisis, patient selection criteria, procedures for home delivery of medications and the means used to deliver them, the number of patients who benefited from telepharmacy, and the number of referrals made. Finally, respondents were asked whether a teleconsultation was carried out before sending patients their medication and whether these deliveries were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 39.3% (n = 185) of all the hospitals in the National Health System (covering all of Spain's autonomous regions) responded to the survey. Before the beginning of the crisis, 83.2% (n = 154) of hospital pharmacy services did not carry out remote pharmaceutical care activities that included telepharmacy with remote delivery of medication. During the study period, 119,972 patients were treated, with 134,142 deliveries of medication being completed. Most hospitals did not use patient selection criteria. A total of 30.2% of hospitals selected patients based on their personal circumstances. Home delivery and informed delivery (87%; 116,129 deliveries) was the option used in most cases. The means used to deliver the medication mainly included the use of external courier services (47.0%; 87 hospitals) or the hospital's own transport services (38.4%; 71 hospitals). As many as 87.6% of hospitals carried out teleconsultations prior to sending out medications and 59.6% recorded their telepharmacy activities in the hospital pharmacy appointments record. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of implementation of telepharmacy in outpatient care in Spain during the study period in the pandemic was high. This made it possible to guarantee the continuity of care for a large number of patients. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.
Authors: Luis Margusino-Framiñán; Cecilia M Fernández-Llamazares; Eva Negro-Vega; Begoña Tortajada-Goitia; Garbiñe Lizeaga; Gabriel Mercadal-Orfila; Carmen Almeida-González; Ramón Morillo-Verdugo Journal: J Multidiscip Healthc Date: 2021-12-31
Authors: Ana Peláez Bejarano; Pilar Villar Santos; Maria de Las Aguas Robustillo-Cortés; Ernesto Sánchez Gómez; Maria Dolores Santos Rubio Journal: Eur J Hosp Pharm Date: 2020-10-28