Identification of teaching and learning components of a telepharmacy training module for undergraduate pharmacy students in Malaysia: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background: Telepharmacy is a pharmaceutical care service provided by qualified pharmacists via telecommunication, meant to reach particularly remote patients. Although telepharmacy was introduced several years ago, the curriculum for providing telepharmacy services is scarcely developed in many pharmacy schools in Malaysia. As a result, pharmacy students might lack the knowledge and skills to offer telepharmacy services to the community. Objective: This study aimed to identify the principal teaching and learning components to be included in a telepharmacy training module for undergraduate pharmacy students. Methods: Using a validated interview guide, the study applied a qualitative method that involved one-on-one interviews with students, academicians, and pharmacy practitioners. Ethics approval was obtained before data collection between October 2022 and January 2023. The data were analysed using NVIVO software. Results: Ten final-year pharmacy students, three academicians, and four pharmacy practitioners were interviewed until responses reached saturation. Four key themes were identified from the interview: the conduct of telepharmacy training, the learning components of the module, the skills required for telepharmacy, and the infrastructure for training. Conclusion: The emerging themes can potentially be used in developing the telepharmacy training module to improve the knowledge and skills of telepharmacy among undergraduate pharmacy students.