Online consultations become the norm

Changes to supervision requirements permit online technology to be used in patient consultations and facilitate the remote monitoring, compliance and checking of drug use. Rather than having to be based on the pharmacy site for most of the working day, pharmacists can liaise with service users and colleagues from any location via webcasts and virtual conferencing. Telehealth becomes central to creating a sustainable business model for pharmacies.

Proposed workforce impact

• Reduced demand for pharmacists in a traditional setting.
• Increased demand for pharmacists to provide a proactive role in monitoring and compliance checking

Sources or references

• http://www.hwprescriptionservice.com/
• http://www.quickrxrefills.com/
• http://www.theonlineclinic.co.uk/

Additional research questions

• How affordable is this technology?
• How will the demand for face-to-face consultations be balanced with progress in online technology?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.