Improved and expanded pharmacy care in rural Alaska through telepharmacy and alternative methods demonstration project.
OBJECTIVE
To describe innovative use of technology to improve the level of pharmacy care in remote villages in rural Alaska.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
The Alaska Native Medical Center and outlying health clinics formed the Southcentral Foundation Pharmacy Network to provide pharmacy services to Native and non-Native patients living in the rural Anchorage Service Unit. The Alaska Native Medical Center served as the central pharmacy, purchasing drugs on behalf of the network and dispensing those drugs to patients of the network. In April 2003, four remote pharmacies began a 6 month comparison of two different telepharmacy equipment systems. The systems were assessed for various factors such as hardware and software capabilities and the customer support offered. The program was then expanded to include 12 participating sites.


RESULTS
During fiscal year 2006, 22665 prescriptions were processed utilizing telepharmacy and prospective pharmacist review. There were 990 documented pharmacist consultations and interventions (4.4% of all prescriptions processed).


CONCLUSIONS
Incorporation of recent technological advancements enabled the pharmacy department of the Alaska Native Medical Center to improve and expand the provision of pharmacy services to rural, isolated communities. Based upon the success of the program, future sites are being targeted for telepharmacy inclusion.
D000413:Alaska; D016303:Clinical Pharmacy Information Systems; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054521:Cultural Competency; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States; D014483:United States Dept. of Health and Human Services