Facilitators and barriers to telepharmacy use among community pharmacists in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Objectives: Recent years have seen the development and advancement of pharmaceutical care services using telecommunications, termed telepharmacy, in a variety of countries and settings. This study investigated the motivations/facilitators and barriers to pharmacists implementing telepharmacy at pharmacies/drugstores in the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional online survey was conducted from March to May 2022, on 747 pharmacists, at pharmacies in all 13 cities/provinces in the Mekong Delta area, Vietnam. Key findings: Of the 747 respondents, 74% participants had experience of using telepharmacy. Having a university degree in pharmacy (aOR = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.11-3.12; P = 0.018) and a monthly income >8.4 million VND (∼357 USD) (aOR = 2.00; 95%CI = 1.16-3.42; P = 0.012) were factors positively associated with telepharmacy use. The factor reported as most greatly motivating telepharmacy use was its ability to provide healthcare services to people in remote/rural areas and those unable to travel (82.3%). The main barrier to telepharmacy use was cited as a lack of policies and regulations on the implementation, application and support of telepharmacy practice (76.8%). More than 75% of those without telepharmacy experience reported that they would like to use it in the future. Conclusions: Telepharmacy use in Vietnam is familiar with the community pharmacists, although the use of telecommunications in pharmacy was only recently adopted in this country. Vietnamese government bodies and policy-makers must issue detailed regulations and instructions governing telepharmacy practice to support these advancements to the healthcare system in Vietnam. © 2023 The Author(s).