Faculty experiences developing and directing a novel multi-campus medication therapy management introductory pharmacy...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Digital Health
• Patient Care

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for telehealth in patient care.
• Pharmacy students require training in telehealth for medication therapy management (MTM).
• Students recognize the importance of MTM and seek enhanced training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate telehealth MTM training into pharmacy experiential education.
• To enhance student competencies in delivering MTM services remotely.
• To provide practical experience in real-world MTM application.

Main Methods:

• Developed and implemented an innovative MTM introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) using telehealth.
• Partnered with AdhereHealth for hands-on, real-world telehealth patient care.
• Focused on medication adherence, social determinants of health (SDOH), and optimizing medication outcomes.

Main Results:

• Trained 390 students from 2021-2023, completing over 6500 medication reviews and SDOH assessments.
• Achieved over 154,000 patient outreach attempts nationwide.
• Demonstrated improved student self-efficacy and efficiency in telehealth MTM delivery.
• Confirmed the effectiveness of MTM IPPE in addressing SDOH.

Conclusions:

• The MTM IPPE is a feasible and effective method for integrating telehealth MTM and SDOH into pharmacy education.
• The program can be successfully scaled and implemented at other institutions.
• Key factors for success include dedicated space, clear orientation, personalized precepting, appropriate technology, and learning-focused assessment.