Access to Telepharmacy Services May Reduce Hospital Admissions in Outpatient Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: Avoidable hospital admissions put increased pressure on already strained health care resources, causing emotional and financial distress for patients and their families while taxing the health system. Pharmacist involvement in patient care has been shown to improve health care outcomes. Telepharmacy allows for personalized interaction and access to pharmacy services in a flexible format. The primary aim of this report is to explore the impact that access to a personalized telepharmacy service has on the hospital admission rate in an outpatient population before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A retrospective, double-arm cohort study was performed. Hospital admission rates were analyzed in two similarly aged groups; one group ( n = 2,242) had access to telepharmacy services through their primary care provider and another group did not ( n = 1,540), from 2019 to 2020. Statistical analysis was performed to explore hospitalization rates in both groups. Results: An increase in hospitalization rates was observed in both groups of patients from 2019 to 2020. The patient group that had access to the telepharmacy service demonstrated a reduced rise in hospitalization rates versus the group without access to the telepharmacy service (access group +12.9% vs. nonaccess group +40.2%, p < 0.05, Student's t -test). Discussion: The patient group with access to telepharmacy services demonstrated a reduced increase in hospitalizations versus the group without access in 2020. While this represents a preliminary investigation into the potential impacts of telepharmacy on hospitalization rates, telepharmacy services may have a role in improving patient outcomes and cost savings.

An Assessment of the Knowledge, Perception, and Willingness to Use Telepharmacy Services Among the General Public in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…Telepharmacy services are crucial for increasing patients' access to pharmaceutical care and reducing medicines-related problems [19]. Moreover, increased patient access to telepharmacy services may improve patient outcomes and prevent hospitalizations [20]. It is prudent to assess the knowledge, willingness, and perception of the community-dwelling people towards telepharmacy services for developing an effective educational strategy, thereby facilitating the access of patients to pharmaceutical care via telepharmacy services.…”

The impact of telepharmacy on hypertension management in the United Arab Emirates

“…Telepharmacy removes communication barriers with patients, especially in changing circumstances, and provides pharmacists with more clinical information about patients’ therapy and life style. 26 This information, which can be used to identify DRPs, are easily accessible through telepharmacy than traditional services, because patients are not worried of spending more time with their professionals and contracting an infection when they are online. This explains the high number of pharmacist interventions related to patient education in our study.…”

An Analysis of Medication Adherence in a Large Outpatient Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using a Novel Value-Based Pharmacy System

“…Such a system also allows patient care information to be documented and used to improve patient outcomes via analysis of relevant metrics. 5 …”

“…A previous study has shown the RxLive VPS was associated with reduced hospitalization in patients who had access to the service. 5 The ability for telepharmacists to document and communicate adherence information to providers may have been a contributing factor to this, although this has not been formally explored.…”