Patient Preferences With Pharmaceutical Care: In-person Versus Digital Health

Completed

• Conditions: Patient Preference
• Interventions: Behavioral: Survey

• Registration Number: NCT05999279
• Lead Sponsor: Lebanese University

Brief Summary

Digital pharmaceutical care, also known as e-pharmaceutical care or telepharmacy, refers to using digital technologies to provide remote pharmaceutical care services. It involves the application of digital tools and platforms to deliver medication-related services, patient counseling, medication management, and other pharmaceutical care activities. It allows patients to access pharmaceutical services conveniently from their homes or any location with an internet connection. This is particularly beneficial for individuals with limited mobility, those living in rural or underserved areas, or patients with difficulty visiting a physical pharmacy. However, it is essential to note that while digital pharmaceutical care provides many benefits, it may only suit some patients or situations. Some individuals may still prefer face-to-face interactions or may require hands-on assistance, especially for complex medication management. Healthcare providers should assess the appropriateness of digital solutions on a case-by-case basis and ensure patient privacy and data security when implementing digital pharmaceutical care services.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2023-07-01
• Study First Submitted: 2023-08-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-08-11
• Study First Posted: 2023-08-21
• Status Verified: 2023-10
• Primary Completion: 2023-10-01
• Study Completion: 2023-10-01
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-10-02
• Last Update Posted: 2023-10-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 386

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients who took at least one medication in the past month
• Patient visiting two community pharmacies

Exclusion Criteria

• Those refusing to participate
• Those with severe hearing or mental problems

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Patient	Survey	Convenient sampling of patients who took at least one medication in the past month

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Patient preference	through study completion, an average of 2 months	A self-reported questionnaire was developed and piloted on the first 30 patients visiting the pharmacies. Minor modifications were performed taking into consideration two expert reviews. It is available in Arabic (native language) and English based on participants' preferences. It includes 3 parts: the first part comprises the baseline characteristics of the patients and their medical history/habits; the second part reports patients' preferences, benefits and disadvantages of each of the outcomes (in-person versus digital health); and the third part assess e-literacy among them using the e-HEALS 8-item scale previously validated on the Arab population.

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Pharmacy du Liban; 🇱🇧 Beirut, Lebanon

Pharmacy Bouchi; 🇱🇧 Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon