The Telepharmacy patient prioritisation model of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy.

The Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy Position Paper on Telepharmacy states that the inclusion of patients should take into account  ethical considerations and, therefore, be based on the concept of equity. Thus, it establishes that Telepharmacy should not be limited to specific  pathologies or medicines, but should be based on the individual needs of each patient: it also highlights the need to rely on selection or prioritisation models to help identify patients who can benefit from  Telepharmacy. The aim of this article is to present the Spanish Society of  Hospital Pharmacy Telepharmacy Patient Prioritisation Model, which establishes  key recommendations and a reference prioritisation model to guide  hospital pharmacists in the identification and prioritisation of patients  who are candidates for inclusion in Telepharmacy programmes. This model was  developed based on the experience of a group of experts in their clinical  practice as well as on a review of the main reference documents available in  this field. It comprises 25 criteria, grouped into 8 minimum inclusion criteria, 5 continuity criteria, and 12 recommended criteria. The latter criteria are divided  into high, medium, and low priority criteria. Patients are prioritised according  to their scores on meeting the recommended criteria, such that those with the  highest scores are given the highest priority. As stated in the Spanish Society  of Hospital Pharmacy Position Paper on Telepharmacy, pharmacotherapeutic  monitoring can be conducted via remote consultation without sending  medication, but not vice versa; thus, the 25 criteria defined apply to  Telepharmacy programmes in the area of the remote dispensing and informed  delivery of medicines, but only 19 of them apply to pharmacotherapeutic  monitoring programmes. The model presented is intended to be a reference  guide and should be adapted to the particular characteristics and  circumstances of each pharmacy service, depending on demand and available  resources.