Telepharmacy
What is telepharmacy?
Telepharmacy is the provision of pharmaceutical care through telecommunications and technologies to patients who are not at the same site as the physician or pharmacist.
There are four types of telepharmacy:
- Remote patient counseling
- Remote dispensing
- Remote order-entry review
- IV admixture verification
Various facilities, such as hospitals, community pharmacies, health systems, and nursing homes, may use telepharmacy.
With telepharmacy, a prescription arrives at the pharmacy through the pharmacy management system (PMS). A pharmacist then reviews and fills the medication and speaks with the patient through a live and interactive video counseling session, where the pharmacist can provide the patient with information about taking the medication.
How does telepharmacy improve healthcare?
Telepharmacy is especially beneficial for patients in rural settings, as they can connect with pharmacists at further locations, giving them access to professional care that is otherwise non-accessible.
Additionally, not only does telepharmacy provide the same quality of care as traditional delivery modes, but it also has a lower dispensing error rate than traditional pharmacies.