Willingness of patients with chronic diseases to use telepharmacy services in Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia

The COVID-19 is known to be a severe pandemic that has accelerated the adoption of telepharmacy services. However, little is known about the current practices and willingness of patients with chronic diseases in the new-norm, specifically in a setting where such services are not properly established before the pandemic. The main objective of this study was to assess the current practices and willingness to use telepharmacy services as well as to identify factors associated with low willingness among patients with chronic diseases in Bandung City in Indonesia. A multisite cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven community health centers (CHCs) and one hospital in Bandung City, in Indonesia, which were selected based on the highest number of patients with chronic diseases. The survey utilized a purposive sampling method among patients with hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), and/or chronic kidney diseases. Current practices and willingness to use telepharmacy services were evaluated through a paper-based questionnaire. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with low willingness to use telepharmacy services. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. A total of 443 patients with chronic diseases were participated, with most having hypertension. Overall, both current practices and willingness to use telepharmacy services were low. Factors associated with low willingness included being 50 years or older (OR = 3.41; 95%CI = 1.46-7.97), inability to use the internet (OR = 3.92; 95% CI = 1.12-13.76), using smartphones independently (OR = 3.64; 95% CI = 1.13-11.72) or with assistance (OR = 6.75; 95% CI = 1.47-31.07), and daily phone usage of less than an hour (OR = 5.50; 95% CI = 1.08-27.89). The study indicated low practices and willingness to use telepharmcy services among patients with chronic diseases. As a result, patients-specific factors such as older age, inability to use the internet, as well as low daily use of smartphones that associated with the low willingness to use telepharmacy services should be considered in order to facilitate telepharmacy implementation in Indonesia.