Abstract
Telehealth is a new area of health assistance, research, and education, in which information and telecommunication technologies (ICT) are used to give support services to communities where there is a lack of healthcare or access to particular specialties of medical assistance. One area of activity of telehealth is telepharmacy, which makes pharmaceutical assistance possible to remote and disadvantaged areas.This Chapter presents the establishment of the first telepharmacy services in U.S. hospitals, its spread to local pharmacies and other countries. The Brazilian Telepharmacy experience is highlighted, which includes the laws and regulations
involving the rational use of medication and medicinal plants, and how the Brazilian Health Policy and System promotes and motivates this area. According to Brazilian laws, for example, in addition to medical doctors and dentists, nutritionists, pharmacists and physiotherapists can prescribe medicinal plants and phytotherapies to their patients. This Chapter also discusses the eHealth activities of the MicroG Centre, PUCRS. The MicroG telehealth assistance projectsbegan in its eHealth Laboratory, as a multidisciplinary initiative, involving joint projects with other labs of the MicroG, such as theAerospace Engineering and Joan Vernikos Aerospace Pharmacy laboratories. The latter has three different pharmacy assistance projects that includethe evaluation of drug interactions, drug adverse effects, drug- medicinal plant interactions, and the identification of medicinal plants and the interference of cultural aspects of different communities on their use. Therefore, the application of telecommunication and computer technologies, software and digital tools has allowed and promoted a more cost-effective spread of the technical and scientific
knowledge of different areas of pharmacy. In this way, telepharmacy has successfully enabled the delivery of pharmaceutical care to patients in situations and regions where direct contact with a pharmacist is not possible, which in turn improves the quality of life of patients as a whole.
involving the rational use of medication and medicinal plants, and how the Brazilian Health Policy and System promotes and motivates this area. According to Brazilian laws, for example, in addition to medical doctors and dentists, nutritionists, pharmacists and physiotherapists can prescribe medicinal plants and phytotherapies to their patients. This Chapter also discusses the eHealth activities of the MicroG Centre, PUCRS. The MicroG telehealth assistance projectsbegan in its eHealth Laboratory, as a multidisciplinary initiative, involving joint projects with other labs of the MicroG, such as theAerospace Engineering and Joan Vernikos Aerospace Pharmacy laboratories. The latter has three different pharmacy assistance projects that includethe evaluation of drug interactions, drug adverse effects, drug- medicinal plant interactions, and the identification of medicinal plants and the interference of cultural aspects of different communities on their use. Therefore, the application of telecommunication and computer technologies, software and digital tools has allowed and promoted a more cost-effective spread of the technical and scientific
knowledge of different areas of pharmacy. In this way, telepharmacy has successfully enabled the delivery of pharmaceutical care to patients in situations and regions where direct contact with a pharmacist is not possible, which in turn improves the quality of life of patients as a whole.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Telemedicine |
| Publisher | SM Group |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Publication status | Published - 27 Jun 2017 |