Perceived Satisfaction and Outcomes from Drug Information Center Services Provided with a Telehealth Approach

Abstract

Background and Aim: Telehealth expansion is dependent on the acceptance and satisfaction of the providers and users of the telehealth service and the impact on the overall health-care system. This study was conducted to evaluate the outcome of pharmacist-led telehealth services and satisfaction of their users. Materials and Methods: The telehealth-based drug information center service was an 8-month retrospective, descriptive study that evaluated users' service satisfaction (quality of service), general health outcomes, recommendations, and personal health outcomes by electronically distributing a questionnaire to the users using a Donabedian model approach. Results: The feedback response rate was 87.33% (N = 131). The majority of users were 25–34-year-old young adults, while regarding the background status of the enquirers (health-care worker, medical doctor, nurse, patient, phar macist, practitioner/scientist), 35 (26.7%) pharmacists and 34 (26.0%) patients were the most prevalent users. In terms of service satisfaction and health outcome, medical doctors had the highest mean ratings of 4.67 ± 0.76 and 4.95 ± 0.21, respectively. Evaluation of the pharmacist-led telehealth impact was measured with four variables, which showed a statistical significance of P < 0.001 and a highly positive mean rating generally (service satisfaction 4.44 ± 0.83, general health outcome 4.54 ± 0.85, personal health outcome 4.80 ± 0.58, and recommendation 4.85 ± 0.43). The findings also showed that user satisfaction significantly impacted on personal health outcomes (P < 0.001), and that there was an insignificant relationship between user background status and continents. Conclusions: The study reveals the significant impact of pharmacist-led telehealth services and the importance of incorporating telehealth services into drug information centers.

The impact of emotional intelligence on coping strategies for psychological trauma

“…Was proved that telepsychology is effective in the treatment of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders, and depression and is effectively used for counseling [37] . The same effectiveness was proven in the study [38] regarding telemedicine. The author shows a significant positive impact of telemedicine services on patient health [38] .…”

“…The same effectiveness was proven in the study [38] regarding telemedicine. The author shows a significant positive impact of telemedicine services on patient health [38] . Researchers in [39] noted that the normative standards of the activities of specialists who provide telemedical or telepsychological assistance should be developed at the same level as the development of modern technologies.…”

Perceptions of Clients on a University-based Drug Information Service affecting Medication Safety

“…These results align with a similar study where the highest number of queries received by a newly established drug information center telehealth service were from young adults aged 25 to 34 years as well as the results of a systematic review on online health-seeking behavior. 5,6 Unlike the younger population who are more accepting of telehealth service, older adults have difficulty understanding, accepting digitized health services which limits their ability to utilize drug information services delivered through telepharmacy. 5,7 Likewise, literature states that health information consumers with higher literacy and educational attainment, have better online health-seeking behavior in terms of frequency and ease of access.…”

“…1 In the Philippines, various teleconsultation platforms such as by the Philippine Pharmacists Association which uses an online platform to communicate and give feedback to patients have also been piloted during the pandemic to increase access to care for patients who have limitations due to physical distancing measures implemented by the government 4 , although there have been limited published literature documenting clients' perception of the service, and its effects on knowledge, decision-making, and medication safety. [5][6][7][8] In July 2020, the College of Pharmacy, University of the Philippines Manila (UPCP) created its own telepharmacy, a university-based drug information service (DIS) which aimed to deliver evidence-based drug information to clients through an online platform by volunteer registered pharmacists and supervised pharmacy students. It uses a Google Form where clients can send queries about their medications, vitamins, and/or supplements for the first time or as follow-up to their previously submitted queries.…”

What role does community-based health insurance play in the utilisation of health services among households in Ethiopia? A community-based comparative cross-sectional study

“…In such circumstances, particularly during times of instability, digital health technology such as telehealth may be the best solution to reduce such disparities and minimise healthcare expenditure from the perspectives of patients, HHs and health systems in order to improve a nation's economic growth and development, which may have an impact on the improvement of life expectancy and satisfaction of healthcare consumers. [38][39][40] This study has some limitations. First, because this was a cross-sectional study, no causal inference could be drawn.…”