Preparing Graduates for Telepharmacy and Telehealth: The Need for Tele-Education

Abstract

The global pandemic has dramatically impacted how pharmacists connect with patients. Telepharmacy and telehealth technologies are being used by pharmacists in a multitude of settings to positively influence the health and wellbeing of patients through these connections. Preparation of pharmacists to deliver services using telepharmacy and telehealth requires tele-education be included in pharmacy training. Tele-education topics may include introductions to telepharmacy and telehealth, audio and visual technologies, etiquette, law, reimbursement, and privacy and confidentiality. In many cases, the pandemic has required pharmacy programs to incorporate tele-education into curriculums quickly resulting in limited and under-developed experiences for students. Tele-education should be purposefully incorporated into curriculums through a combination of didactic, simulation, and experiential training. Programs should evaluate how tele-education is taught within their curriculum and share those experiences with the academy as it is likely pharmacy graduates will be providing patient care services using telepharmacy and telehealth.