Telepharmacy at a critical access hospital

Telemedicine is defined by the Institute of Medicine as “the use of electronic information and communications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates the participants.” Telepharmacy is a subset of telemedicine that focuses on the pharmacy-related aspects of telemedicine, including the dispensing of medications and information and the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients from a distance.1 Telepharmacy has been successfully implemented in inpatient and outpatient settings2,–4; however, the degree of services provided by telepharmacy can vary greatly among facilities. The following case illustrates the improvement of pharmaceutical services through the use of telepharmacy at a rural hospital. A 25-bed critical access hospital wanted to improve pharmacy services through the use of automated dispensing machines and remote pharmacist review of orders. The pharmacy staff consisted of one pharmacist and a part-time (0.5 full-time equivalent) pharmacy technician. The daily census averaged 10 patients. The hospital’s pharmacy services were run through a larger 442-bed regional hospital. The larger hospital provided pharmacy staff, relief staff, and technical assistance when needed at the rural facility.