July 30, 2021 — In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the people have had even more difficulty accessing quality medicines and medicine information. 

In an effort to address this, the UP College of Pharmacy launched its Telepharmacy Service on July 19, 2020. The initiative aims to provide drug information and counseling in response to patient drug inquiries. The Telepharmacy Service is run by volunteers composed of 38 faculty members and alumni and 166 student pharmacists. 

The service is provided through a Google form disseminated through the UP College of Pharmacy Facebook page that collects patient/caregiver inquiries regarding medications and other related concerns. The queries are acknowledged and answered by a registered pharmacist or pharmacy student. The responses are then validated for accuracy of information by another registered pharmacist validator to ensure the credibility of the response, and then forwarded to the patient.

Medical-related questions and COVID-19-related concerns are immediately forwarded to the PGH Bayanihan Na! Operations Center for proper management. 

As of May 2021, the UPCP Telepharmacy Service has served over 600 patients, giving up-to-date and validated responses to their medication concerns. As shown in the figure, the categories with the most number of queries included over-the-counter drug recommendations and multiple categories. Food supplement and maintenance medications were also frequently recorded in the queries received. Currently, the service is open four days a week from 8AM to 5PM. 

The service has allowed faculty and alumni to utilize their decision-making skills and clinical judgement through a safe and accessible means and share knowledge on rational medication use outside of their main field of practice. It has given them an opportunity to serve patients as pharmacists and develop and update their knowledge and skills based on the needs of clients and patients. 

For student pharmacists, the UPCP Telepharmacy Service has allowed them to apply and communicate their knowledge and learnings from didactic online classes and develop their clinical skills while adjusting to the norms of the current pandemic. 

As drug experts, the UPCP Telepharmacy Service has been an avenue to rectify misinformation on health and medications and has highlighted the role of the pharmacist as drug information providers, counselors, and communicators in the healthcare team.

Princess Marie Athena H. Aquino, RPh; Kristine Eves S. Garcia, RPh; Frances Lois U. Ngo, RPh, MHSS

Published in UP Manila Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 29