Telepharmacy services: Malaysian public and pharmacist perception and readiness / Azlina Ahmad

Telepharmacy is a method utilised by pharmacists using information and telecommunication technology in delivering pharmacy practice including pharmacy operation and patient care. It has emerged as a good solution with cost savings and provides wider coverage and has recently been introduced in Malaysia. However, there is a lack of studies in Malaysia on the provider and user perception and readiness. Three study phases involved: phase one used semi-structured interviews exploring the experience and perception of diabetic patients from Klinik Kesihatan Pasir Mas Kelantan about the home medication therapy review service by pharmacists and perception of the future virtual service; Phase two a scoping review to conduct a scoping review on the telepharmacy services provided by pharmacists globally and Phase three, a quantitative study using validated questionnaire assessing the perception and readiness of pharmacists and the public towards telepharmacy in Malaysia. Twenty interviews were successfully conducted and three themes were derived which are: medication management before and after, patients' perspectives on HMR-P and patients' willingness to obtain medication review service including subtheme willingness to use virtual medication review. In terms of acceptance of virtual medication review, some patients felt that this service would be a good program for them even though this virtual service has never been heard before. Another highlight was the concerns about the skill in using the information technology where they do not know how to use the technology. In phase two, a hundred fifty-seven articles were reviewed and the following information's were retrieved. There are several types of telepharmacy services explored in this review, each serving different purposes and addressing various aspects of pharmaceutical care. Telepharmacy services reviewed include medication therapy management and home blood monitoring, transitional care/ medication reconciliation, counselling, medication adherence, remote pharmacy, interhealthcare professional consultation and follow-up service. Cardiovascular disease and telephone where two popular disease and device used in telepharmacy. In phase three, the survey instrument assessed the perception and readiness of public and pharmacists. Three hundred six pharmacists and three hundred eighty-seven public responded. The finding indicated that public was less positive regarding awareness, perception and willingness, while pharmacists are slightly more positive towards perception (53.6%). In terms of readiness, pharmacists are more ready towards implementation of telepharmacy with only 52.6%. For the sub-domain pharmacist were less positive regarding readiness towards personnel education and qualifications (59.2%), technology security and compliance (57.2%), regulatory and scope of practice (53.6%); and funding (72.5%). The sub-domain that that show higher readiness are attitudes and skills (80.7%) and challenges (57.5%). The finding shows that overall Malaysian pharmacist are ready but on the other hand less ready for public towards implementation of telepharmacy in Malaysia. In conclusion, while Malaysia's technological infrastructure and regulatory environment may support the implementation of telepharmac, several factors, including regulatory frameworks, public acceptance, training, and data security, would need to be carefully addressed to ensure readiness and success. As overall, Malaysian pharmacists are ready to adapt, while less ready for the public towards the implementation.