User experience with the Ask Your Pharmacist teleconsultation platform

Abstract

Background: An increasing number of pharmacists use technology and social media to connect with patients. However, such means may pose confidentiality issues and legal problems. To correct this situation, a platform of teleconsultation services provided by pharmacists, titled “Ask Your Pharmacist,” was created in Quebec, Canada. Methods: A web-based satisfaction survey was carried out among patients and pharmacists who have used the Ask Your Pharmacist platform to describe their experience and satisfaction with the platform and explore the perceived usefulness of this service in the province of Quebec. Results: A total of 53 patients and 27 pharmacists completed the survey. Most patients were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience with Ask Your Pharmacist (96.2%), said that it met their need (88.7%), and agreed they would not have to consult again about the matter discussed with the pharmacist (75.5%). The main motivation of pharmacists for volunteering on Ask Your Pharmacist was to meet the needs of patients (85.1%), promote their profession (55.6%), improve drug utilization in the population (55.6%) and increase accessibility to a pharmacist (51.9%). Most (81.5%) felt that providing written consultation (rather than oral) required more research on their part. Discussion: Most patients judged they would not have to have another consultation about the matter discussed with the pharmacist, suggesting that Ask Your Pharmacist may avoid the need for physician and emergency department visits. Conclusion: Most patients and pharmacists were satisfied with their experience with Ask Your Pharmacist and perceived this service as useful. Further studies should assess the impact of this platform on the utilization of other health care services. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2021;154:xx-xx.

Experience and perspectives of users and non-users of the Ask your pharmacist teleconsultation platform

“…Pharmacists participating in this pilot study will be remunerated as the current study, and the survey suggest this service is valuable and could reduce the need for further consultations. 16 …”

“…The quantitative component, an online survey, has been published elsewhere. 16 Briefly, this survey comprised closed-ended questions, with multiple-answer choices or 4-point Likert scales. Patients who used the AYP platform and pharmacists who answered a question on the platform, recently, were eligible to participate.…”

“…At the end of the survey, participants were asked if they were interested to share their experiences and thoughts in depth during an individual telephone interview. 16 From October 2018 to April 2019, individual semi-structured interviews were conducted over the telephone with some of these interested patients and pharmacists (i.e., users), and with various professionals delivering healthcare and psychosocial services to ambulatory patients (i.e., non-users). The telephone was the preferred mean for the interviews as participants came from various regions in the province of Quebec.…”

Evaluating the implementation of a referral system for virtual pharmacy counselling in a province-wide nurse phone line

“… 15 , 16 The level of satisfaction of patients using this type of services is reported to be high, and the business model is based on commercial attractivity and high patient needs. 16 The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of a direct-to-consumer on-line pharmacy consultation service (Ask Your Pharmacist) to a universal phone consultation service led by the universal public health system in Quebec, through a direct bridge. It followed a logic analysis that is publicly available.…”