Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy Position Statement on Telepharmacy: Recommendations for its implementation and...

The use of information and communication technologies have nowadays become  part and parcel of hospital pharmacy practice. Against this background, it is  hardly surprising that Telepharmacy has sparked the interest of a large number  of stakeholders. In this respect, the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy has  developed a definition of the concept and outlined the conditions under which  Telepharmacy should operate. It has also shared its institutional stance on the  subject through a position statement that states that Telepharmacy is the  provision of pharmaceutical care at a distance through information and  communication technologies. Telepharmacy practice includes activities such as  therapeutic validation, drafting of clinical documents, provision of  pharmaceutical care, therapeutic follow-up, adherence monitoring, drug  education and information, coordination between healthcare providers and  evaluation of health outcomes. The clinical tasks performed as part of  Telepharmacy practice must adhere to a standardized procedure and revolve  around the patient's clinical record. Access to Telepharmacy must be provided without discrimination. The service comprises four main activities:  pharmacotherapeutic follow-up; patient and caregiver-directed education and information-dissemination; coordination with healthcare providers from the  same or different hospitals; and remote informed home drug delivery. Implementation of Telepharmacy requires an adjustment of human (training and capacity-building) and technological resources (validation, interoperability, confidentiality). It must also comply with the laws and regulations in force both  at a regional and a national level. Telepharmacy procedures must also be  adapted to the relevant ethical standards and codes of good practice.  Appropriate indicators must be used to evaluate the performance of  Telepharmacy and its impact on health outcomes. According to Spanish Society  of Hospital Pharmacy Telepharmacy is a necessary complementary tool to  provide specialized pharmaceutical care and thereby improve health outcomes  and maximize patient safety and satisfaction.