PROVISION OF CLINICAL PHARMACY SERVICES THROUGH THE TELEGRAM GROUP UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF THE FULL-SCALE WAR IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The research aims at studying the requirement for clinical pharmacy services offered through the activity of a Telegram group after the imposition of martial law in Ukraine.
 Materials and Methods. The staff of the Department of Healthcare Management, Pharmacotherapy and Clinical Pharmacy together with the Centre of Pharmaceutical Care and Innovations in Healthcare of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University created a "Clinical Pharmacy" group on Telegram (free of charge messenger) on March 3, 2022. The object of research is represented by the requests of the created group members. The subject of research is represented by special needs for clinical pharmacy services and the provision of pharmaceutical care after the imposition of martial law in Ukraine.
 Results and Discussion. A total of 206 participants joined the newly-created Telegram group and sent 338 requests from March 3 to June 8, 2022. Notably, 88.8% of requests were sent in March 2022. The requests involved the identification of medicines and medical products by the group administrators. Medicines and medical products were identified based on the photos of the secondary or primary packaging with labels mainly in a foreign language. The administrators answered the questions in Ukrainian. The results of the data analysis showed that 54.1% of requests were related to medicines, 16.6% to medical products, 16.6% to dietary supplements, 11.8% to cosmetic products, and 0.9% to other. The administrators of the Telegram group identified the product as medicine or attributed it to other categories when they received requests. Later, they identified the composition of active pharmaceutical ingredients, pharmacotherapeutic group and / or indications for use. The requests included narcotics and psychoactive agents, while their distribution is limited in Ukraine. The administrators also identified medicines that were not registered in Ukraine (28.4%). It may be necessary to provide more complete pharmaceutical care to ensure the rational use of them. In our opinion, the obtained results should become a part of the academic process. It should be noted that case management based on the received requests and responses to them must also be included.
 Conclusions. The obtained results prove that a part of the vital clinical pharmacy services can be provided by professional groups using free messengers in the state of emergency, namely the imposition of martial law. The provision of accurate information about drugs and medical products was prioritized among other clinical pharmacy services. We consider it relevant to enforce the development of e-clinical pharmacy, especially while implementing crisis management in Ukraine.