A review of Telehealth practices in Sri Lanka in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Kulatunga, Gumindu; Hewapathirana, Roshan; Marasinghe, R. B.; Dissanayake, Vajira H. W.

doi:10.4038/sljbmi.v11i1.8090

Cited by 14 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…An institutional response to the pandemic was also implemented in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by adapting new e-tools such as a business WhatsApp and webpage portals [ 37 ]. In another review article from Sri Lanka, they reported the use of teleprescriptions along with videoconferencing and audio consultations [ 44 ]. In the United States, state pharmacy boards and the U.S. > Department of Health and Human Services temporarily modified requirements for telemedicine, including telepharmacy, by allowing videoconferencing that is not fully compliant with HIPAA rules [ 32 , 38 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was also seen that governmental interventions, such as relaxation of regulations and messaging to relieve panic and tension, helped overcome some of the challenges [ 25 , 29 , 47 ]. A review article from Sri Lanka recommended the need for appropriate legislation and prescribing protocols, especially for controlled medications [ 44 ]. Case studies also suggested providing training to pharmacists for emergency preparedness and providing educational sessions to the public to reduce telepharmacy skepticism [ 40 , 43 , 49 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Telepharmacy during COVID-19: A Scoping Review

et al. 2021

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The objective of this scoping review is to summarize the implementation of telepharmacy during the surge of COVID-19. This review will focus on answering four questions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, (1) what were the various telepharmacy initiatives implemented? (2) what were the challenges faced when implementing telehealth initiatives? (3) what were the strategies used by pharmacies to overcome the challenges, and (4) what were some of the innovative methods used by pharmacies to implement telepharmacy? A literature search was conducted to include publications post-March 2020 about telepharmacy implementation via PubMed Central database and Google searches. All articles were examined for inclusion or exclusion based on pre-determined criteria. A total of 33 articles were reviewed. The most commonly observed telepharmacy initiatives were virtual consultations, home delivery of medicines and patient education. Limited access to technology and lack of digital access and literacy were major barriers in the implementation of telepharmacy. New protocols were developed by healthcare systems and regulations were relaxed by countries to accommodate telepharmacy. Pharmacies that successfully implemented telepharmacy overcame these challenges through patient and pharmacist education. The review also revealed the steps that can be taken by pharmacy organizations, payers and entrepreneurs in leveraging the convenience of telepharmacy.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telepharmacy during COVID-19: A Scoping Review

et al. 2021

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“…(Sri Lanka):” the Country did not have any regulations or guidelines specific to Telemedicine services when the pandemic started [ 26 ]. Health Information Unit of the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka made a set of non-formal guidelines to assist voluntary participating doctors when using Telehealth services and trained them using online methods.. As for further development the National eHealth Guidelines and Standards (NeGS) are currently being updated to include Telehealth services”…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telehealth and the COVID-19 Pandemic: International Perspectives and a Health Systems Framework for Telehealth Implementation to Support Critical Response

et al. 2021

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Objectives: Telehealth implementation is a complex systems-based endeavour. This paper compares telehealth responses to (COrona VIrus Disease 2019) COVID-19 across ten countries to identify lessons learned about the complexity of telehealth during critical response such as in response to a global pandemic. Our overall objective is to develop a health systems-based framework for telehealth implementation to support critical response. Methods: We sought responses from the members of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Telehealth Working Group (WG) on their practices and perception of telehealth practices during the times of COVID-19 pandemic in their respective countries. We then analysed their responses to identify six emerging themes that we mapped to the World Health Organization (WHO) model of health systems. Results: Our analysis identified six emergent themes. (1) Government, legal or regulatory aspects of telehealth; (2) Increase in telehealth capacity and delivery; (3) Regulated and unregulated telehealth; (4) Changes in the uptake and perception of telemedicine; (5) Public engagement in telehealth responses to COVID-19; and (6) Implications for training and education. We discuss these themes and then use them to develop a systems framework for telehealth support in critical response. Conclusion: COVID-19 has introduced new challenges for telehealth support in times of critical response. Our themes and systems framework extend the WHO systems model and highlight that telemedicine usage in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is complex and multidimensional. Our systems-based framework provides guidance for telehealth implementation as part of health systems response to a global pandemic such as COVID-19.

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“…The majority of research exploring e-prescribing during the pandemic is contained within research and commentary on telemedicine and does not address e-prescribing directly [21][22][23][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…I understand that the script involves work from a doctor/nurse before it's sent, but this is a significant barrier to people being having health needs met in a timely manner. (S:F,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]…”

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confidence: 99%

E-prescribing and access to prescription medicines during lockdown: experience of patients in Aotearoa/New Zealand

et al. 2021

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Background Health services internationally have been compelled to change their methods of service delivery in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, to mitigate the spread of infection amongst health professionals and patients. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, widespread electronic delivery of prescriptions (e-prescribing) was enabled. The aim of the research was to explore patients’ experiences of how lockdown, changes to prescribing and the interface between general practices and community pharmacy affected access to prescription medications. Method The research employed a mixed-method approach. This included an online survey (n = 1,010) and in-depth interviews with a subset of survey respondents (n = 38) during the first COVID-19 lockdown (March–May 2020). Respondents were recruited through a snowballing approach, starting with social media and email list contacts of the research team. In keeping with the approach, descriptive statistics of survey data and thematic analysis of qualitative interview and open-ended questions in survey data were combined. Results For most respondents who received a prescription during lockdown, this was sent directly to the pharmacy. Most people picked up their medication from the pharmacy; home delivery of medication was rare (4%). Survey and interview respondents wanted e-prescribing to continue post-lockdown and described where things worked well and where they encountered delays in the process of acquiring prescription medication. Conclusions E-prescribing has the potential to improve access to prescription medication and is convenient for patients. The increase in e-prescribing during lockdown highlighted how the system could be improved, through better feedback about errors, more consistency across practices and pharmacies, more proactive communication with patients, and equitable prescribing costs.

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A review of Telehealth practices in Sri Lanka in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 14 publications

References 32 publications

Telepharmacy during COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Telepharmacy during COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Telehealth and the COVID-19 Pandemic: International Perspectives and a Health Systems Framework for Telehealth Implementation to Support Critical Response

E-prescribing and access to prescription medicines during lockdown: experience of patients in Aotearoa/New Zealand

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