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Saeed H, Martini ND, Scahill S. Exploring telepharmacy: A bibliometric analysis of past research and future directions. Res Social Adm Pharm 2024; 20:805-819. [PMID: 38714397 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2024.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
This bibliometric review analyzes the evolution of telepharmacy research, significantly amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. By employing bibliometric analysis, the study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state and emerging trends in telepharmacy. This approach helps in identifying key areas of growth, predominant themes, and potential gaps in the literature. Utilizing data from 330 papers (1981-2023) sourced from Scopus and analyzed with Bibliometrix™, this study applies both performance analysis and science mapping methods to examine the telepharmacy literature. The findings reveal a consistent growth in telepharmacy research, with an 8.07 % average annual growth rate. Performance analysis highlights key authors, influential works, and leading journals and countries in the field. Document co-citation analysis identifies four developmental phases of telepharmacy: emergence, take-off, expansion, and future trajectory by uncovering the intellectual structure of the field. Co-words analysis elucidates evolving conceptual structures and significant subfields over time. These findings serve to inform practitioners and researchers about the evolving landscape of telepharmacy, guiding future research and practice in this increasingly important field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hina Saeed
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
| | - Nataly Dominica Martini
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Shane Scahill
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
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Yap M, Edwards G, Gibbs H, Newnham H, Hancock N, Tong EY. A cohort study comparing pharmacist activities during participation in general medical ward rounds: telehealth versus in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Clin Pharm 2024; 46:522-528. [PMID: 38368283 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-024-01701-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic created systemic challenges in patient care delivery. AIM To evaluate the impact on pharmacist activities during pharmacist participation in ward rounds via telehealth, compared to physical attendance. METHOD A single-centre, retrospective cohort study conducted from 18th Aug through 26th Oct 2020. Patients admitted to COVID and non-COVID general medical teams were included. Pharmacists attended ward rounds via telehealth for COVID teams; physical attendance continued for non-COVID teams. Telehealth involved pharmacists interacting with clinicians and patients virtually via videoconferencing whilst stationed remotely on the ward. Routine clinical pharmacy activities during telehealth ward rounds were compared to those during face-to-face ward rounds using comparative statistics. RESULTS Among the 1230 patients included (762 COVID, 468 non-COVID), pharmacist participation in telehealth ward rounds demonstrated significantly more documented activities compared with face-to-face rounds (mean 6.7 vs 4.9 per patient per day, p < 0.001). The telehealth cohort exhibited a higher number of orders placed via pharmacy-partnered medication charting (3.0 vs 2.4 per patient per day, p < 0.001), medication orders verified (2.3 vs 1.1, p < 0.001), and documented pharmacy notes (0.6 vs 0.2, p < 0.001). No significant difference was observed in medication requests processed (0.4 vs 0.4, p = 738), whilst non-COVID patients had more discharge prescription items generated (0.3 vs 0.7, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Pharmacist involvement in medical ward rounds via telehealth enabled the ongoing provision of advanced clinical pharmacy services to inpatients in isolation rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This approach resulted in a greater number of pharmacy activities during telehealth ward rounds compared to standard in-person attendance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Yap
- Pharmacy Department, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Gail Edwards
- Pharmacy Department, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Harry Gibbs
- General Medicine Unit, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Harvey Newnham
- General Medicine Unit, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicole Hancock
- General Medicine Unit, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Erica Y Tong
- Pharmacy Department, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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El Ansari W, Saad MO. Virtual Care? Telepharmacy in Critical Care Settings for Patient-Centered Care and Multidisciplinary Collaboration: A Scoping Review of Activities, Benefits, Economic Impact, Challenges, and Knowledge Gaps. Telemed J E Health 2024; 30:21-35. [PMID: 37406291 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2023.0067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Very few studies have investigated telepharmacy (TP) in critical care. This scoping review undertook this task. Methods: We searched the following five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, WoS, Scopus, CINAHL). Data were extracted from the articles and mapped out. Arksey and O'Malley's 6-step framework was used, and data synthesis identified activities, benefits, economic impact, challenges, and knowledge gaps of TP in critical care. Results: Out of 77 reports retrieved, 14 were included in the review as per inclusion criteria. Eight studies (57%) were published since 2020, and 9 (64%) were from the United States. Tele-ICU was in place before TP implementation in six studies (43%). TP used a range of synchronous/asynchronous communications. Studies reported wide assortment of reactive/scheduled TP activities. Patient outcomes were evaluated in one study of sedation-related TP interventions but they were not different despite improved compliance with sedation protocol. Most common clinical interventions/drugs included glycemic, electrolyte, and antimicrobial therapy management and antithrombotic agents among others. Acceptance of TP interventions was 75% or more in four studies and 51-55% in two studies. Benefits of TP included resolved drug-related problems, increased compliance with guidelines, maintained interactions with other health care providers, and patient safety among others. Three studies (21%) reported cost avoidance with TP interventions. Challenges included communication, intervention documentation, tracking implementation of recommendations, and monetary/financial and legislative/regulatory issues. Knowledge gaps comprised lack of frameworks for implementation/evaluation of TP in critical care, methodological aspects, lack of patient-specific outcomes, as well as institution/health-system aspects, and documentation systems, cost, legislative, and sustainability issues. Conclusions: TP in critical care is underpublished, and comprehensive frameworks for its implementation and evaluation remain lacking. Assessments are needed to evaluate the effect of TP in critical care on patient-specific outcomes, its economic and legal dimensions, methods to sustain it, as well as the role of documentation systems, collaboration models, and institutional characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walid El Ansari
- Department of Surgery, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
- College of Medicine, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
- Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
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Hron JD, Payvandi L, Parsons CR, Bourgeois FC. A Year of Inpatient Telehealth: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hosp Pediatr 2023; 13:e333-e338. [PMID: 37881878 DOI: 10.1542/hpeds.2022-007009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Relaxation of telehealth regulation enforcement during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic opened the door to massive expansion. Here we describe inpatient telehealth usage across a pediatric academic hospital during the first year of the pandemic. METHODS We created hospital bed-specific inpatient telehealth accounts and monitored their use over a 1 year period using data from our video conferencing vendor. We matched data with our enterprise data warehouse based on session date and time to identify patients who participated in telehealth. We performed secondary analysis of all video conferences to identify additional multidisciplinary team and family meetings that did not leverage the bed-specific telehealth accounts. RESULTS We hosted 6931 inpatient telehealth sessions associated with 1648 unique patients. Hospitalized patients participating in telehealth sessions were older and had markedly longer length of stay compared with those who did not use telehealth (median age 12 vs 8 years, P < .001; median length of stay 9.03 vs 2.03 days, P < .001). There were 2006 charges for telehealth sessions, half of which were from psychiatry providers. Secondary analysis revealed an additional 1132 sessions used for interdisciplinary team or family meetings. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians used inpatient telehealth to support care of hospitalized pediatric patients during the coronavirus disease pandemic, particularly for mental health care and family meetings. These findings suggest ongoing opportunities for inpatient telehealth systems beyond the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Hron
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lily Payvandi
- Department of Family Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Family Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Chase R Parsons
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Fabienne C Bourgeois
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Cen ZF, Tang PK, Hu H, Cavaco AC, Zeng L, Lei SL, Ung COL. Systematic literature review of adopting eHealth in pharmaceutical care during COVID-19 pandemic: recommendations for strengthening pharmacy services. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e066246. [PMID: 36418133 PMCID: PMC9684285 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The study aimed to determine how eHealth was adopted in pharmaceutical care (PC), the outcome reported and the contextual factors. DESIGN Systematic literature review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. DATA SOURCES Literature was searched in six databases including PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Web of Science, Science Direct and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Studies which reported the usage experiences of eHealth in any aspects of PC by pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic, written in English or Chinese, and published in peer-reviewed journals between December 2019 and March 2022 were included. Opinion articles, conference abstracts, correspondence, letters and editorials were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS The literature search was completed on 15 April 2022. Two researchers independently conducted the literature search and extracted the data into an Excel table informed by the logic model with the key components of goals, input, activities, output and contextual factors. RESULTS Forty-three studies were included in this review. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital pharmacists, community pharmacists and specialist pharmacists in 17 countries continued to educate, consult, monitor and manage the patients and the general public via phone calls, videoconferences, mobile applications, social media, websites and/or enhanced interoperability of electronic medical records. Assuring the continuity of pharmacy care, reduced need for hospital visits, and improved work accuracy and efficiency were the benefits of eHealth mostly reported. Contextual factors affecting the adoption of eHealth were multifaceted, prompting supporting actions at the levels of government, hospital/pharmacy, pharmacists and patients. CONCLUSION This study revealed the wide adoption of eHealth in PC during the pandemic and the emerging evidence for its importance. Proper adoption of eHealth will help reshape the mode of pharmacy services to ensure continuity, quality and efficiency of care amid the challenges of the pandemic. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42022299812.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Feng Cen
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR China
| | - Pou Kuan Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR China
| | - Hao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR China
- Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR China
| | | | - Luoxin Zeng
- Department of Pharmacy, Kiang Wu Hospital, Macao SAR, China
| | - Sut Leng Lei
- Department of Pharmacy, Kiang Wu Hospital, Macao SAR, China
| | - Carolina Oi Lam Ung
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR China
- Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR China
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Becker NV, Mendu ML, Martin KL, Hirner JP, Bakshi S, Carlile N. Provider experience and satisfaction with a novel 'virtual team rounding' program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Qual Health Care 2021; 33:6332352. [PMID: 34329445 DOI: 10.1093/intqhc/mzab111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND New inpatient virtual care models have proliferated in response to the challenges presented by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, few of these programs have yet been evaluated for acceptability and feasibility. OBJECTIVE Assess feasibility and provider experience with the Virtual Team Rounding Program (VTRP), a quality improvement project developed and rapidly scaled at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA, in response to the surge of COVID-19 patients in the spring of 2020. METHODS We surveyed 777 inpatient providers and 41 providers who served as 'virtual rounders' regarding their experience with the program. Inpatient providers were asked about their overall satisfaction with the program, whether the program saved them time, and if so, how much and their interest in working with a similar program in the future. Providers who had worked as virtual rounders were asked about their overall satisfaction with the program, the overall difficulty of the work and their interest in participating in a similar program in the future. RESULTS We find that among both groups the program was well-received, with 72.5% of inpatient providers and 85.7% of virtual rounders reporting that they were 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their experience with the program. Among inpatient providers who worked with the program, two-thirds reported the program saved them time on a daily basis. Inpatient respondents who had worked with virtual rounders were more likely to say that they would be interested in working with the VTRP in the future compared with respondents who never worked with a virtual rounder (75.3 vs 52.5%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION As the pandemic continues, rapidly implementing and studying virtual care delivery programs is crucial for hospitals and health systems. We demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of a 'virtual rounding' program assisting inpatient providers. Future work should examine the impact of these programs on patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora V Becker
- Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Road, Bldg 16, Rm 430W, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Mallika L Mendu
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kate L Martin
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jesse P Hirner
- Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Salina Bakshi
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Narath Carlile
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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