The use of welfare technology in community pharmacies : A scoping review
Åsbacka, Katarina (2023)
2023
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20231107143475
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20231107143475
Tiivistelmä
Background
Welfare technologies plays a significant role in assisting community pharmacists in delivering efficient and quality services. This became evident during the COVID -19 pandemic. Particularly, community pharmacies have adopted welfare technology to ensure effective prescription and dispensing of medications. However, evidence regarded the use of and impact of welfare technologies in community pharmacies are scarce, and the pharmacists’ voices are missing.
Aim
The aim of this master thesis was to explore evidence regarding the use of welfare technology in community pharmacies and the community pharmacists’ experiences and perceptions of such. The following research questions guided the scoping review: According to existing evidence and literature records, what welfare technology products were used in community pharmacies? What were the pharmacists’ experiences/perceptions of these? Did welfare technology enable the pharmacists to focus more on person-centered care? Was the Extended Technology Acceptance Model helpful when implementing welfare technology?
Method
A scoping review was conducted and included data was synthesized and analysed applying qualitative content analysis methods. PRISMA-ScR: checklist and explanation for quality assurance was also applied according to standard literature review guidelines. Based on searches for both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed studies in the databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science 15 studies published between the years 2005 and 2002 were included in the review. The study reports were synthesized and emerging key themes were highlighted.
Results
The data synthesis and content analysis identified the following key findings:welfare technology products, such as robotics, personal digital assistants, smartphone technology, AI tools, inventory management software and e-prescribing, enabled community pharmacists to focus more on person-centered care. While e-prescribing was considered helpful, some pharmacists emphasized medication errors can result from an inappropriate use of e-prescribing technology. Further, the Extended Technology Acceptance Model was found to be effective in predicting the reliability of welfare technology solutions and the user behavior of pharmacists who used them.
Conclusion
Community pharmacists express confidence in using welfare technology and see these as tools to replace menial logistical tasks in the pharmacy, thus enabling them to focus more on person-centered care. However, research conducted in this context is scarce, which leads to a lack of knowledge and evidence regarding possible benefits welfare technology could possibly have in this context.
Welfare technologies plays a significant role in assisting community pharmacists in delivering efficient and quality services. This became evident during the COVID -19 pandemic. Particularly, community pharmacies have adopted welfare technology to ensure effective prescription and dispensing of medications. However, evidence regarded the use of and impact of welfare technologies in community pharmacies are scarce, and the pharmacists’ voices are missing.
Aim
The aim of this master thesis was to explore evidence regarding the use of welfare technology in community pharmacies and the community pharmacists’ experiences and perceptions of such. The following research questions guided the scoping review: According to existing evidence and literature records, what welfare technology products were used in community pharmacies? What were the pharmacists’ experiences/perceptions of these? Did welfare technology enable the pharmacists to focus more on person-centered care? Was the Extended Technology Acceptance Model helpful when implementing welfare technology?
Method
A scoping review was conducted and included data was synthesized and analysed applying qualitative content analysis methods. PRISMA-ScR: checklist and explanation for quality assurance was also applied according to standard literature review guidelines. Based on searches for both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed studies in the databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science 15 studies published between the years 2005 and 2002 were included in the review. The study reports were synthesized and emerging key themes were highlighted.
Results
The data synthesis and content analysis identified the following key findings:welfare technology products, such as robotics, personal digital assistants, smartphone technology, AI tools, inventory management software and e-prescribing, enabled community pharmacists to focus more on person-centered care. While e-prescribing was considered helpful, some pharmacists emphasized medication errors can result from an inappropriate use of e-prescribing technology. Further, the Extended Technology Acceptance Model was found to be effective in predicting the reliability of welfare technology solutions and the user behavior of pharmacists who used them.
Conclusion
Community pharmacists express confidence in using welfare technology and see these as tools to replace menial logistical tasks in the pharmacy, thus enabling them to focus more on person-centered care. However, research conducted in this context is scarce, which leads to a lack of knowledge and evidence regarding possible benefits welfare technology could possibly have in this context.