PharmaTrust's Dispensing Machine Headed to the UK

PharmaTrust's MedCentre remote consultation and dispensing machine is likely headed to the UK, they've announced in a press release:

British Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business, Lord Davies, said: “I am delighted that PharmaTrust has chosen the UK for a major expansion of its business. Its new prescription drug dispensing technology will revolutionize the way medicines are dispensed across the country and beyond.”

PharmaTrust sees the UK as "a key gateway to the European market." The CEO and co-founder, Don Waugh was invited to attend the Global Investment Conference hosted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In the press release, he draws some parallels between PharmaTrust's machine and the first ATMs, introduced in London. Click here for more information about the PharmaTrust MedCentre.

New Study: Telepharmacist Monitoring ICU Patients Increased Sedation Guideline Compliance, Daily Sedation Interruptions, Interventions

A new study published in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy this month by a crew from UMass Memorial Medical Center and University of Massachusetts Medical School shows promising results for patients in intensive care. From Evaluation of the Impact of a tele-ICU Pharmacist on the Management of Sedation in Critically Ill Mechanically Ventilated Patients:

RESULTS: The addition of third shift tele-ICU pharmacist support was associated with a significant increase in the percentage of patients who received a daily sedative interruption (45% vs 54%; p < 0.0001). This occurred in the context of significant increases in the total number of ICU pharmacist interventions (36 vs 49.4 per 100 patient days, p < 0.0001), the number of therapeutic interventions (20.4 vs 26.1 per 100 patient days, p < 0.001), and the number of sedative-related interventions (0.9 vs 4.4 per 100 patient days, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: Tele-ICU resources can be utilized to increase compliance with an established ICU sedation guideline and extend the benefits that daytime ICU clinical pharmacy services provide. Increased ICU pharmacist availability may have additional benefits not measured in this study.

This is the second study published this month that points to telepharmacy as an effective method for improving patient outcomes. Thanks Allison Forni, Nancy Skehan, Christian Hartman, Dinesh Yogaratnam, Milka Njoroge, Christopher Schifferdecker, and Craig Lilly!

5% of Healthcare Professionals in Malaysia use Telepharmacy

A group of pharmacists at the Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Pharmaceutical Sciences have published a study in this month's issue of the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research entitled "Evaluation Of Knowledge And Perception of Malaysian Health Professionals About Telemedicine" (PDF):

The study doesn't state specifically how each respondent answered the questions, but it's a good bet that this reflects telepharmacy use in hospital pharmacy settings, because 1) 80% of respondents were from hospitals (private and government-run), and 2) "Nurses or medical doctors in clinic settings were excluded since telemedicine is yet to become a common practice in these settings," though telemedicine is defined as Teleradiology, Telesurgery, Telenursing as well as Telepharmacy. While 5% usage is low, this is the first I've heard of telepharmacy in use in Malaysia, whereas 42% of my fellow medical professionals in Malaysia have heard of it before, and as a developing country the only direction telepharmacy practice is headed there is up.

New Study: Telepharmacy an Effective Method of Providing Pharmaceutical Reviews

The Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare has released a new study out of Australia evaluating the effectiveness of remote pharmacist reviews of dispensed medications in rural hospitals without on-site pharmacists. Pharmaceutical review using telemedicine - a before and after feasibility study:

Only 42 of the 116 public hospitals in Queensland employ qualified pharmacists to staff their pharmacies. We undertook a feasibility study to determine if pharmaceutical reviews, undertaken face-to-face by a visiting pharmacist, could be replicated using telemedicine. The study was conducted in two phases, with the same pharmacist coordinating the project from the main hospital to two rural hospitals, which relied on supply nurses for all their pharmaceutical services. All inpatients admitted between October 2006 and May 2007 were included in the study. In Phase I the pharmacist made weekly visits to both facilities, to perform face-to-face pharmaceutical reviews of the current inpatients. In Phase 2, all pharmaceutical reviews were performed remotely by the pharmacist by telephone or videoconference. In Phase 1, 186 pharmaceutical activities were performed (mean 3.9 per patient). Of these, 78 pharmacist-initiated changes were recommended and 47 (60%) were implemented. In Phase 2, a total of 296 activities were performed (mean 3.1 per patient) and of the 140 recommendations made by the remote pharmacist, 74 (53%) were accepted. Of the accepted recommendations, there were 11 major interventions (those with a potential to prevent harm to the patient) in Phase 1 and 32 in Phase 2. There were no significant differences in the pharmaceutical activity rates in the two phases. Telepharmacy therefore may be an effective method of providing pharmaceutical reviews for patients in rural inpatient facilities, without an on-site pharmacist.

Thanks Louise Poulson, Lisa Nissen, and Ian Coombes!