At the outset of writing this I can’t help but think of a recent Beyoncé/Gaga offering – who doesn’t love that scene in 
Telephone when they escape in the PussyWagon? No one, that’s who. Also a rather hard core alternative to the solo-Beyoncé effort of Videophone which to be honest is rather Lara Croft, if you ask me. But I digress.
I’ve been reading quite a lot lately on telemedicine, the art, if you will, of providing medical advice and services over the telephone/internet. In essence, this allows those who normally have limited or no access to health professionals/care the resource of communicating with medical professionals via telephone and internet.
A recent article in Pharmacy Choice teases at the notion of an expanding industry in the US, saying that [the company] American Educational Telecommunications allows rural patients and health care providers to work with medical professionals at regional or urban medical centers. AET’s technologies also facilitate distance learning to train medical professionals in other parts of the world; the company’s technologies help ensure that rural populations have access to the same quality of medical care as those admitted to hospitals.
Even more…I think the word I’m looking for is…intriguing…is that I have now heard that some US hospitals are hiring pharmacists who work off-site, some working as far away as Europe and Asia. They receive the electronic patient records and doctors’ orders and authorise prescriptions which are delivered on-site. From what I hear, the pharmacists are extensively contacted for advice and communication ensues as it would if the pharmacist were there, save for of course the pharmacist to patient interaction.
I think I have convinced myself that this is a BRILLIANT idea, one that sparks enthusiasm for underserviced areas the world over. The pharmacists have the continued opportunity to practice the art of medicines management, what they do best while at the same time the convenience of staying chez lui. Win-win.
The biggest argument I see arising is, as mentioned, the lack of pharmacist-patient interaction. But, let me be the devil’s advocate, just for a teeny moment. Does it really matter? As much as we have fought to be recognised as a healthcare provider and not just a medicines dispenser, doesn’t our TRUE value still lie in what we can provide with regards to medicines information and how that may best be of use to patient recovery?
Of course it’s better to have a pharmacist onsite, but if the choice is between telemedicine providing the information for someone else to use and no pharmacy-services at all, dial me up.