DO YOUNG PHARMACISTS HAVE A PLACE IN THE DIGITAL HEALTH SPACE?
By Rewhandamzi Boms
The current global norm is the use of digital and mobile devices to perform several daily tasks ranging from banking and financial activities to placing orders for food, taxis, and even scheduling travel and accommodation reservations. This fully demonstrates how technology has transformed daily routines.
Expectedly, the healthcare industry is not left out in this revolution. Several tech firms are striving to develop a wide range of products which include health mobile applications, digital devices, sensors and wearables, digital therapeutics, and personal health devices that creatively address health issues in ways that provide value with reduced effort and cost.
Consumers are becoming increasingly digitally dependent and accustomed to the use of these digital health products such as mHealth applications which support various health aspects like medication adherence, fitness, nutrition, sleep.
In fact, patients relish their newfound ability to personally manage their health with easy access to their medical information in a convenient, timely, and cost-effective manner.
Digital technology such as electronic medical record systems, electronic prescribing, telemedicine virtual visits, and remote patient monitoring systems are undoubtedly easing the work burden on health professionals. Healthcare services and delivery are being rapidly transformed by digital health. Young pharmacists are therefore implored to adjust and redefine their roles within the new normal and work innovatively to lead digital health solutions and advance their practice so as to continually remain in demand in the health workforce, and young pharmacists can lead the way.
Pharmacists, widely recognized as the most accessible health care provider, can leverage their frequent interaction with patients and play the pivotal role of a translator by helping patients understand their digitally-generated health data and applying the information to boost clinical decision making and patient self-management.
Pharmacists can aid patients in selecting and setting up medication adherence mobile applications as well as monitor patient adherence via mobile applications and wearable devices.
Real-time data generated from these tools will undoubtedly assist pharmacists in making excellent decisions on how to better manage patients with chronic diseases.
More so, early career pharmacists are encouraged to get involved in the development of digital health tools as their inclusion could help design safe, accurate, and patient-friendly tools.
References
1. International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). Use of mobile health tools in pharmacy practice. 2019
2. Martin A, Brummond P, Vlasimsky T, et al. The Evolving Frontier of Digital Health: Opportunities for Pharmacists on the Horizon. Hospital Pharmacy. 2018;53(1):7–11. doi:10.1177/0018578717738221
3. The Importance of engaging pharmacists in the digital health space. Veta Health Blog
4. Vatanka P, Lofton JC. Re-envisioning the Pharmacist’s Role in the Era of Digital Health-CPhA’s Inaugural Digital Health Conference. Journal of Contemporary Pharmacy Practice (2020) 67 (2): 23–32. https://doi.org/10.37901/jcphp20-00002
