Abstract
Background: Telepharmacy, utilizing telecommunications to dispense pharmaceutical products and deliver patient care, offers numerous benefits for both the public and pharmacists. Previous research on exploring attitudes and willingness to use telepharmacy services has primarily focused on pharmacists, rather than the general population.
Aim: This study aimed to assess the attitudes and willingness of the UAE population to utilize telepharmacy services and to identify the factors influencing their inclination to use these services.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a survey was distributed using convenience and snowball sampling to individuals aged 18 or older across the UAE through various social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. The survey domains included socio-demographics, attitudes, and readiness to utilize a telepharmacy service. A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the variables associated with participants’ willingness to utilize telepharmacy in the future.
Results: In total, 963 individuals participated in the study. Participants showed overall positive attitudes towards telepharmacy, with 70.9% believing that telepharmacy saved time and effort. While only 32% of the participants acknowledged that numerous telepharmacy services were available for use in the UAE, most were interested in using telepharmacy services in the future (79.2%). Participants who had higher attitude scores (AOR = 1.147, 95% CI :1.11-1.18) and those who had used these services previously (AOR = 3.270, 95% CI: 1.692-6.320) were more interested in using telepharmacy services in the future.
Conclusion: Forthcoming healthcare strategies should focus on expanding the availability of telepharmacy services throughout various regions of the country. This expansion will facilitate the broader utilization of these services and ultimately contribute to improved health outcomes.
Aim: This study aimed to assess the attitudes and willingness of the UAE population to utilize telepharmacy services and to identify the factors influencing their inclination to use these services.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a survey was distributed using convenience and snowball sampling to individuals aged 18 or older across the UAE through various social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. The survey domains included socio-demographics, attitudes, and readiness to utilize a telepharmacy service. A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the variables associated with participants’ willingness to utilize telepharmacy in the future.
Results: In total, 963 individuals participated in the study. Participants showed overall positive attitudes towards telepharmacy, with 70.9% believing that telepharmacy saved time and effort. While only 32% of the participants acknowledged that numerous telepharmacy services were available for use in the UAE, most were interested in using telepharmacy services in the future (79.2%). Participants who had higher attitude scores (AOR = 1.147, 95% CI :1.11-1.18) and those who had used these services previously (AOR = 3.270, 95% CI: 1.692-6.320) were more interested in using telepharmacy services in the future.
Conclusion: Forthcoming healthcare strategies should focus on expanding the availability of telepharmacy services throughout various regions of the country. This expansion will facilitate the broader utilization of these services and ultimately contribute to improved health outcomes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 19 Aug 2024 |