Survey of the patients' perspectives and preferences in adopting telepharmacy versus in-person visits to the pharmacy: a feasibility study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the health authorities recommended the implementation of strict social distancing and complete lockdown regulations to reduce disease spread. The pharmacists quickly adopted telemedicine (telepharmacy) as a solution against this crisis, but awareness about this technology is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore the patients' perspectives and preferences regarding telepharmacy instead of traditional in-person visits. Methods An electronic questionnaire was designed and sent to 313 patients who were eligible for the study (from March to April 2021). The questionnaire used five-point Likert scales to inquire about motivations for adopting telepharmacy and in-person visits, their perceived advantages and disadvantages, and the declining factors of telepharmacy. Finally, the results were descriptively analyzed using SPSS 22. Results Of all 313 respondents, a total of 241 (77) preferred appointments via telepharmacy while 72 (23) preferred in-person services. There was a significant difference between the selection percentage of telepharmacy and in-person services (chi-square 91.42; p < 0.0001). Preference bout the telepharmacy system versus in-person visits to the pharmacy was associated with factors such as "reducing the incidence of contagious disease" (4.41; +/- 0.78), "spending less time receiving pharmaceutical services" (4.24; +/- 0.86)), and "traveling a shorter distance for receiving pharmaceutical services" (4.25; +/- 0.86). "Reducing costs" (90.87), "saving time" (89.21), and "reducing the incidence of contagious disease" (87.13) were the most important reasons for choosing telepharmacy services. Also, "face-to-face communication with the pharmacist" (25), "low internet bandwidth" (25), and "reduction of patients' anxiety and the increase of their peace of mind" (23.61) were the most important reasons for choosing in-person visits. Conclusion Survey data indicate that most participants are likely to prefer the use of telepharmacy, especially during crises such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. Telepharmacy can be applied as an important means and a crucial service to lessen the load on healthcare organizations and expand drug supply shelters in pharmacies. However, there are still substantial hurdles to overcome in order to successfully implement the telemedicine platform as part of mainstream practice