In recent years, citizens have been going out less due to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote medical services therefore become more popular. Even now when the pandemic has been gradually relieved, the digitalisation process of the medical industry is still continuing. Many citizens have been accustomed to use medical services remotely through the internet. Mr Leo Lo, a registered pharmacist at the St. James' Settlement Philanthropic Community Pharmacy, shared how he made use of the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHealth) to break the geographical boundaries, providing remote pharmacist consultation services to citizens with extensive points of contact in the community to take care of their health.
【Message from the Pharmacist】
Remote Consultation Service Leverages on eHealth
to Assist Citizens in Medication Reconciliation
Remote Consultation Service Leverages on eHealth
to Assist Citizens in Medication Reconciliation
Uninterrupted Remote Service for Comprehensive Follow-up of Patients' Conditions
St. James' Settlement Philanthropic Community Pharmacy has been the first non-profit community pharmacy in Hong Kong in providing patient-centred pharmacy services and various drug subsidy programmes since 2009. It has also introduced the free "St. James Tele-pharmacist Consultation Service". Mr Lo stated that such service has been in operation for several years to provide suitable assistance to citizens by utilising different information technologies.
“We will use phone or communication software to response promptly to simple inquiries, such as the side effects of drugs, whether fasting is necessary before taking specific medications, etc. In case arrangement for video conferencing is required for detailed consultations, the pharmacist will access patient’s electronic health records (eHRs) in eHealth upon obtaining their consent, in order to understand their medical histories and the medications currently taking.” Mr Lo further stated that many patients purchased proprietary medicines and nutritional supplements under the COVID-19 pandemic, and were often confused with the usage and dosage. Therefore, Mr Lo would perform medication reconciliation for patients when meeting patients remotely, and provide them appropriate medication advices to avoid taking medicines and supplements repeatedly or improperly via tele-pharmacist consultation.
“In addition, we have also launched ‘DRUG GO’ medication delivery patient support service to deliver medications directly to patients’ homes, and provide them with instructions on the appropriate usage through remote consultation services. This can spare patients and elderly who are mobility impaired, in weak health condition or residing in remote areas from travelling, as well as reduce the risk of infection during the pandemic.”
eHealth Helps Ensure Medication Safety
Mr Lo pointed out that the eHRs in eHealth enable him to further ensure patients' medication safety. “Prior to dispensing drugs, we shall counter check the prescriptions, understand patients' medical histories such as medication records, allergies and adverse drug reactions and laboratory reports, etc., and will also take into account patients’ age, any potential conflicts with current medications, their liver and kidney functions and so on. For patients who are receiving cancer chemotherapy drugs and targeted therapy drugs, we need to be mindful of their white blood cell counts etc., in order to provide suitable advice during medication consultation services.
In the past, patients are required to provide their medical histories and bring all their medications when visiting their pharmacists. Nowadays, pharmacists can grasp the above information and patients’ latest health data at a glance via eHealth, facilitating us to get a better understanding on patient's health conditions and medication status for continuous follow-up.”
Mr Lo also mentioned that occasionally when patients with chronic diseases sought assistance from community pharmacy on minor ailments such as sore throats, flus or colds, it was imperative for pharmacists to understand patients' conditions for deciding on which over-the-counter medicines should be dispensed. He cited an example, certain analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs might interact with blood thinners that might also have adverse effects on patients with impaired kidney function. To prevent such situations, eHealth could offer precise information to support pharmacists’ decision-making.
Looking ahead: eHealth Goes Further to Foster a Closer Tie among Healthcare Professionals
Mr Lo opined that the wider use of eHealth has greatly benefited remote medical services. “During the pandemic, more citizens have registered and known about eHealth, saving their time to explain its usage and benefits when the pharmacists of the community pharmacy meet the patients. It has also been easier to obtain patients’ consent for accessing their eHRs.
In fact, remote medical services rely more on patients to describe their medical conditions proactively and clearly than face-to-face one. With eHealth, we can grasp certain information to make informed judgments for providing medical advice, thereby enhancing service efficiency and effectiveness.”
Talking about the future development, Mr Lo considered that it will bring greater benefits if more doctors or relevant healthcare professionals (HCProfs) can upload more details of diagnosis to eHealth, allowing different HCProfs to understand the reasons behind for each medical decision.
“Currently, eHealth enables us to know the types and dosages of medications prescribed by doctors. If the reasons for changing drug prescription or dosage can be provided in more details, it will be conducive to a more comprehensive patient care by different allied HCProfs.”
Moreover, Mr Lo hoped that eHealth can foster a closer tie among HCProfs in different specialties to deliver continuous and holistic healthcare services for the public. “We have encountered with patients altering or discontinuing medication by themselves, as well as other medication issues, thereby affecting the therapeutic outcomes. I believe doctors can make more accurate medical judgments if we inform them about patients’ actual conditions by recording consultation service memos through eHealth.”
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