Although telepharmacy has been found useful in Japan's rural areas, the active involvement of pharmacists in these communities will help boost its effectiveness. 

A recently published study in the journal Drug Discoveries & Therapeutics explored patients' perspectives on telepharmacy in a mountain region in the country.

FINDINGS

Based on semi-structured interviews with four elderly patients who have received telepharmacy in Toyone village in the Aichi Prefecture, the study found that the subjects see telepharmacy as "advantageous" in overcoming poor access to healthcare and improving processes ranging from medical examination to acquiring prescribed medicines.

However, they also point out the low digital literacy among the senior age group and their low expectations towards pharmacists who had no previous relationship with them due to the lack of pharmacies in their area.

It was suggested then that in order to promote telepharmacy, there must be efforts to reduce resistance to smartphones and to provide technological support among the elderly. Work must also be done to get pharmacists more involved in patient care and health support in remote settings.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a key driver in the implementation of telepharmacy in the country. Remote medical counselling by pharmacists has been allowed from April 2020 as a temporary measure during the pandemic. 

It was only in September that the Japanese government made available telepharmacy, five years since telemedicine was permitted in rural areas across the country. Previously, the PMD Law (Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices) required pharmacists to provide medication instructions in person. 

In recent years, companies have been venturing into telepharmacy. One of them, NowRx, a US-based digital retail pharmacy, started offering telehealth last year. It initially focused on providing pre-exposure prophylaxis, an HIV prevention medication. 

Before the pandemic, Sigma Healthcare and Doctors on Demand collaborated to offer the latter's telehealth services into Sigma pharmacies across Australia. The in-clinic service was offered at various Amcal, Guardian and Discount Drug Store pharmacies in the country.