Embracing telepharmacy: Unveiling Malaysians' perceptions and knowledge through online survey.

Autor: Ahmad A; School of Pharmacy, KPJ Healthcare University, Kota Seriemas, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan., Gnanasan S; Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Selangor Branch, Puncak Alam Campus, Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia., Karuppannan M; Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Selangor Branch, Puncak Alam Campus, Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.; Cardiology Therapeutics Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Selangor Branch, Puncak Alam Campus, Selangor, Malaysia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PloS one [PLoS One] 2024 Aug 27; Vol. 19 (8), pp. e0307897. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 27 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307897
Abstrakt: The expansion of information technologies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has notably increased the use of remote services, including telehealth. Telepharmacy, a subset of telehealth, offers remote pharmaceutical care services, benefiting patients by providing advice and consultations without the need for physical pharmacy visits. This study aimed to assess public perceptions and awareness of telepharmacy in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from Nov 2022 to May 2023, involving 387 Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above. Data collection utilised Google Forms distributed via social medias, covering demographics, technological readiness, awareness, perceptions, and willingness related to telepharmacy. The study demonstrated high digital readiness among respondents, owning smartphones and being adept in utilising various digital features. However, there was a lack of awareness regarding the concept of telepharmacy. Despite predominantly positive perceptions of its potential, only 48.1% of respondents showed willingness to utilise telepharmacy services. While respondents exhibited readiness for digital engagement, there was a notable deficit in understanding telepharmacy. Though perceptions were positive, willingness to embrace telepharmacy was moderate. Addressing the knowledge gap through targeted education initiatives might enhance acceptance. Future research should focus on integrating telepharmacy into healthcare systems considering public preferences, thereby evaluating its actual implementation and outcomes among diverse demographics.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright: © 2024 Ahmad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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