Transplant Pharmacists’ Experience With Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The adoption of telehealth became a necessity for healthcare organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transplant pharmacists are integral members of the multi-disciplinary care team who quickly adapted application of these technologies to ensure continuity of care. Objective: To assess transplant pharmacists’ experience with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A 23-question online survey was developed to assess transplant pharmacists’ experience with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Forty-five pharmacists responded to the survey from a broad range of transplant centers. The majority of respondents indicated infrequent use of telehealth (98%) before the COVID-19 pandemic, but this was significantly changed during the pandemic with only 9% reporting infrequent use. Pharmacists anticipated a decrease in future use, but 91% of respondents stated they would like to continue utilization of telehealth in their practice post-pandemic. Conclusions: The adoption of telehealth during COVID-19 was widespread and has the potential to facilitate continuity of care. Though pharmacists anticipated a decrease in future use, a majority favored continued utilization of telehealth in their practice.