Facilitators and barriers to telepharmacy use among community pharmacists in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Abstract

Recent years have seen the development and advancement of pharmaceutical care services using telecommunications, termed telepharmacy, in a variety of countries and settings. This study investigated the motivations/facilitators and barriers to pharmacists implementing telepharmacy at pharmacies/drugstores in the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam. A descriptive cross-sectional online survey was conducted from March to May 2022, on 747 pharmacists, at pharmacies in all 13 cities/provinces in the Mekong Delta area, Vietnam. Of the 747 respondents, 74% participants had experience of using telepharmacy. Having a university degree in pharmacy (aOR = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.11–3.12; P = 0.018) and a monthly income >8.4 million VND (~357 USD) (aOR = 2.00; 95%CI = 1.16–3.42; P = 0.012) were factors positively associated with telepharmacy use. The factor reported as most greatly motivating telepharmacy use was its ability to provide healthcare services to people in remote/rural areas and those unable to travel (82.3%). The main barrier to telepharmacy use was cited as a lack of policies and regulations on the implementation, application and support of telepharmacy practice (76.8%). More than 75% of those without telepharmacy experience reported that they would like to use it in the future. Telepharmacy use in Vietnam is familiar with the community pharmacists, although the use of telecommunications in pharmacy was only recently adopted in this country. Vietnamese government bodies and policy-makers must issue detailed regulations and instructions governing telepharmacy practice to support these advancements to the healthcare system in Vietnam.