Work

The urge for specific standards of telepharmacy services: Lessons learned from qualitative study in Indonesian community pharmacies

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objective: Like many low- and middle-income countries, Indonesia lacks specific standards for telepharmacy practices, which requires adherence to traditional pharmacy guidelines to evaluate the services. This study aims to explore the disparities between the implementation of telepharmacy services in community pharmacies and the established Indonesian pharmaceutical service standards. Methods: 12 to analyse the findings. Results: Four identified themes were the structures, daily practices, challenges, and enablers of telepharmacy services. The scope of telepharmacy services consisted of dispensing medicines, patient education, and providing drug information through mobile applications by pharmacy electronic system organisers (PSEF) or social media platforms. Challenges in daily practice revealed gaps in traditional pharmaceutical service guidelines, including systems interoperability, effective communication among pharmacists-physician-patients, and the need for standards specific to digital pharmaceutical services. Common problems in telepharmacy were uncertain medicine availability, unclear e-prescription validity, limited pharmacist-physician collaboration, and impeded patient education, particularly in services provided through PSEF applications. On the other hand, the availability of digital technologies was seen as beneficial, highlighting the necessity for predefined standardised facilities to ensure the quality of telepharmacy services. Conclusion: While traditional pharmaceutical service standards can be applied to evaluate telepharmacy practices, specific challenges must be explicitly addressed within a dedicated telepharmacy standard to ensure patient safety and service quality.

Source: Digital Health

DOI: 10.1177/20552076251326018

Authors: Kartika Citra Dewi Permata Sari, Adelia Nathifa Rachma Nur Setiati, Larasati Arrum Kusumawardani, Hasniza Zaman Huri, Mohamed Hassan Elnaem

Institutions: University of Indonesia, University of Malaya, University of Ulster

Language: English

Topic: Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,000