Perspective of Clinical Pharmacists on the Provision of Pharmaceutical Care through Telepharmacy Services during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic: A Focus Group

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created an unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems, resulting in widespread adoption of innovative technology and services including provision of pharmaceutical care through telepharmacy. This practice is novel in the state of Qatar and the lessons learned by clinical pharmacists who provide the service is unknown. Research Question or Hypothesis: What are the perceived benefits, risks, barriers, and facilitators related to the use of telepharmacy for the provision of pharmaceutical care during COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of clinical pharmacists? Study Design: A qualitative methodology using focus group discussions Methods: Clinical pharmacists across Hamad Medical Corporation were purposively selected to participate in the study. Focus group discussions were audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Five focus groups, involving 24 pharmacists were conducted. Overall, the major perceived benefits of care provision through telepharmacy included decreased infection exposure risks, continuity of access to healthcare services, better resource utilization through deceased time and cost on patients, and expansion of clinical pharmacy services to cover higher number of patients in remote facilities. However, clinical pharmacists perceived the practice of telepharmacy as difficult and challenging. The major disadvantages highlighted were limited efficiency and timeliness of clinical pharmacy interventions;suboptimal patient communication due to language barrier;negative influence on the pre-established professional rapport with other healthcare providers, leading to reluctance to seek pharmacists' input. Perceived challenges of the service included lack of standardized training and timely access to patients' information, cultural resistance by both healthcare providers and patients and limited resources such as dedicated platforms, incomplete documentation in electronic health records. Participants recommended creating dedicated platforms and standardized protocols as potential facilitators of telepharmacy. Conclusion: Despite perceived barriers, pharmacists identified several benefits of telepharmacy and recommended potential facilitators that should be utilized to integrate and sustain the practice of telepharmacy in the future.