The EAHP Board, elected for three-year terms, oversees the association’s activities. Comprising directors responsible for core functions, it meets regularly to implement strategic goals. Supported by EAHP staff, the Board controls finances, coordinates congress organization, and ensures compliance with statutes and codes of conduct.
WEB DIALOGUE: ONE MORE STEP IN TELEPHARMACY
European Statement
Introductory Statements and Governance
Author(s)
ARDIZONE BEATRIZ, MARTA HERNÁNDEZ SEGURADO, MARÍA FORTE PÉREZ-MINAYO, LAURA GARCÍA JIMÉNEZ, ELENA TORTAJADA ESTEBAN, ANA CORDERO GUIJARRO, NATALIA BARRERAS RUIZ, LAURA JIMÉNEZ NAVARRO, JAVIER BÉCARES MARTÍNEZ
Why was it done?
First, we had a high number of patient inquiries by phone and by email. Furthermore, patient queries related with their treatment and their resolution were not recorded in the electronic clinical history. Finally, we needed a communication platform that would guarantee personal data privacy.
What was done?
In collaboration with the IT department, we developed a software tool called “Web Dialogue” within the e-health portal of our institution. This tool allows the patients to communicate with the pharmacist using a chat box where they can write queries about drug interactions, adverse effects and any questions about the hospital dispensing treatments, as well as other medications and herbal products. A pharmacist answers the queries within 24 hours, from Monday to Friday.
How was it done?
We asked the IT department to activate this tool for all active patients to whom we dispensed medication in our service (a total of 8000 patients). The development lasted 2 years (2017-2019), but it was not until March 2020, with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, that the “Web Dialogue” began to be used by our patients more widely. We also made an informative video that was posted on the e-health portal in order to achieve a wider knowledge of this tool among patients. See link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z9pd93sNY8
What has been achieved?
The median number of messages per month in 2020-2021 was 202 (IQR= 100,5; 468). At the beginning of the state of alarm in Spain there was a peak in the use of the “Web Dialogue”, mainly to query about how to access the medication (94% of the queries). Over the following months, the proportion of these consultations decreased and consultations regarding doubts about treatment, adverse effects and drug interactions increased. Furthermore, the Net Promoter Score (NPS), an indicator that allows us to measure the satisfaction of patients, shows that in the last year we have achieved, for the first time, a score over 60, which is considered excellent.
What next?
Some of our ideas for the future are: the possibility of selecting the type of inquiry and the interlocutor by the patient, creating algorithms for the automatic response of certain questions and carrying out Big Data research studies.