Evaluating COVID-19's Impact on Patient Access to Care in the Community Pharmacy Setting.

Huy T Hoang, Dorsa Saghira, Mary Finch, Jeff Fortner
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Abstract

Introduction: Community pharmacies across the country have been adapting the ways their patients receive medications and prescription information during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, the CDC encouraged patients to use pharmacy drive-throughs, curbside pickup, or home delivery services to obtain medications. This research study is one of the first studies to analyze how patients utilize and access Medication Management Services (MMS) in the community pharmacy setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: To evaluate changes to patients' utilization of Medication Management Services in the community pharmacy setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Eligible patients included persons 18 years old and older, and currently taking at least (1) chronic prescription medication in the last three months. Pharmacists were excluded from the study. Telephonic or video interviews were conducted with patients from community pharmacy settings. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient characteristics and responses to select interview questions. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted with data collected from open-ended interview questions. Results: Thirty-five patients participated in interviews. Patients reported increased use of telehealth and technology, increases in quantity or days supply of medications, initiation of mail delivery services, and curbside pick-up. Five (14.3%) patients used telehealth or increased their technology usage due to the pandemic. Seven (20%) patients reported they were more proactive in refilling their medications. Eleven (31.4%) patients indicated they were currently using a prescription delivery service and were likely to continue the service. On the contrary, five (14.3%) patients experienced decreased healthcare professional interactions, while 3 (8.6%) patients encountered slowed pharmacy processing and 2 (5.7%) faced technology barriers. However, 58% of patients reported no changes to the way they utilized MMS during COVID-19. Conclusion: Like many other healthcare providers, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift in how community pharmacies care for the patients they serve. This study identified various changes in how the pandemic impacted the way patients accessed and utilized community pharmacy services. These findings can serve to inform community pharmacies on how to best serve their patients during this and future pandemic.

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Abstract Image

评估COVID-19对社区药房患者获得护理的影响
导语:在COVID-19大流行期间,全国各地的社区药房一直在调整患者获得药物和处方信息的方式。为了降低COVID-19感染的风险,美国疾病控制与预防中心鼓励患者使用药房驾车通过、路边取货或送货上门的服务来获取药物。本研究是首批分析COVID-19大流行期间患者如何在社区药房环境中利用和获取药物管理服务(MMS)的研究之一。目的:评价2019冠状病毒病疫情期间社区药房患者用药管理服务利用情况的变化。方法:符合条件的患者包括18岁及以上,并且在过去三个月内正在服用至少(1)种慢性处方药的患者。药剂师被排除在研究之外。对来自社区药房的患者进行电话或视频访谈。描述性统计用于总结患者特征和对选定访谈问题的回答。对开放式访谈问题收集的数据进行定性专题分析。结果:35例患者参与访谈。患者报告说,远程保健和技术的使用增加了,药物供应的数量或天数增加了,开始了邮件递送服务,并在路边取货。5名(14.3%)患者由于大流行而使用远程医疗或增加了技术使用。7名(20%)患者报告说,他们更主动地补充他们的药物。11名(31.4%)患者表示他们目前正在使用处方递送服务,并可能继续使用该服务。相反,5名(14.3%)患者经历了医疗保健专业人员互动减少,3名(8.6%)患者遇到了药房处理速度减慢,2名(5.7%)患者遇到了技术障碍。然而,58%的患者报告说,他们在COVID-19期间使用MMS的方式没有变化。结论:与许多其他医疗保健提供者一样,COVID-19大流行导致社区药房为其服务的患者提供护理的方式发生了转变。这项研究确定了大流行如何影响患者获取和利用社区药房服务的方式的各种变化。这些发现可以帮助社区药房了解如何在这次和未来的大流行期间为患者提供最好的服务。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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