How is virtual care changing pharmacy?

In this article:

• What is telepharmacy?
• How virtual care impacts the profession
• The bottom line

In this article

• What is telepharmacy?
• How virtual care impacts the profession
• The bottom line

Telemedicine is defined as the remote delivery of healthcare services using a phone, tablet, or computer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine expanded rapidly and redefined the delivery of medical services in virtually every aspect of healthcare. Pharmacy is no exception. 

Telepharmacy utilizes technology to deliver pharmacy services in an innovative way, according to an article published in Integrated Pharmacy Research and Practice. This increases healthcare access for patients and has led to growth in the pharmacy profession. 

What is telepharmacy?

Telepharmacy allows pharmacists to perform healthcare services, such as medication review, patient counseling, drug therapy monitoring, and prescription verification, through telecommunication. It can be used in retail, outpatient, and hospital pharmacy settings and utilizes state-of-the-art technology so qualified pharmacists can complete tasks remotely through a computer, tablet, or phone. 

There are two general categories of telepharmacy practice: 

• Brick-and-mortar remote sites: These sites are traditional, storefront pharmacies staffed by non-pharmacists, including pharmacy technicians and assistants. A remote pharmacist supervises the staff through a continuous, real-time telecommunication connection. While regulations vary depending on the state, the remote pharmacist may supervise staff in receiving, inputting, and preparing prescriptions for dispensing.
• Self-service, automated machines: These machines look like automatic teller machines (ATMs). They are kiosks that contain prescription medications, labeling equipment, and technology that can connect the patient to a remote pharmacist in real time. They can accept new or refill prescription orders, store medications, label and prepare prescriptions, and, at the discretion of a remote pharmacist, dispense prescriptions to patients. 

Other ways technology in pharmacy allows for virtual care are through remote patient consultations and remote order-entry reviews in inpatient settings.

The impact of virtual care on the profession

There is a predicted 14.42% annual growth rate for expanding digital pharmacy services. This means the days of face-to-face communication and paper-based procedures are fading, and the responsibilities of a pharmacist are changing. Here are ways technology is transforming the pharmacy profession:

Need for adaptation

According to some research, one of the keys to successfully integrating pharmacy and technology is the willingness of the pharmacy staff to adapt to change. The study found while many pharmacists were “early adopters”—or eager to adapt and use new technologies—others were cautious and preferred to wait and see how technologies performed in other settings before using them in their pharmacies. They also found that the rapid growth of technology in pharmacy caused stress and anxiety among older pharmacists. Technology introduced new stressors to their workload, which led researchers to conclude that successful integration of new technology, such as those that allow virtual care, into pharmacies requires in-depth training and support for the pharmacy staff. 

Shift to team-based work

Telepharmacy provides more opportunities for pharmacists to work collaboratively with other clinicians. For example, in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), an innovative hub-and-spoke telehealth model was implemented where virtual clinical pharmacist practitioners supported primary care and cardiology teams at different VA medical centers. In this model, pharmacists were part of an integrated clinical team with physicians and other healthcare providers. This telehealth model resulted in improved patient wait times, higher job satisfaction for pharmacists, and fulfillment of staffing gaps. With the growth of telepharmacy, pharmacists may find themselves shifting to team-based patient care more so than before.

Changes in job responsibilities  

With the expanded use of self-service, automated machines, the need for pharmacists to complete tasks such as counting pills, managing inventory, and dispensing medications is decreasing. Instead, pharmacists may focus on more complex responsibilities, including patient counseling, medication therapy management, vaccinations, and other clinical services. 

Demand for specialized skills or upskilling in telepharmacy jobs

In settings that use automation, employers may seek pharmacists with specialized skills—such as informatics backgrounds or programming experience—as they may be better equipped to oversee robotic technology. In settings where pharmacists provide virtual clinical care, employers may prefer pharmacists with advanced training or expanded provider status. For example, pharmacists with diabetes credentials may be more sought after for positions within primary care teams as job responsibilities will likely include consulting patients who are newly diagnosed with diabetes or are not managing their diabetes adequately. 

This shift in demand for pharmacists with specialized skills may incentivize them to upskill to be more marketable in this technology-driven era. 

The bottom line 

Telepharmacy allows pharmacists to perform healthcare services, such as medication review, patient counseling, drug therapy monitoring, and prescription verification, virtually via telephone, computer, or tablet. While virtual care is convenient for patients and makes pharmacy care more accessible, it has significantly transformed the pharmacy profession. The growth of virtual care has forced pharmacists to be adaptable to new technology, changed pharmacists’ job responsibilities, and shifted the demand to pharmacists with specialized skills.