Integrated Pharmacy Research and Practice (May 2025)
Validation of a Scorecard of Quality and Activity Indicators for Telepharmacy Pharmaceutical Care Services in Spanish Hospitals
Abstract
Luis Margusino-Framiñán,1 Olatz Ibarra-Barrueta,2 Irene Mangues-Bafalluy,3 Emilio Monte-Boquet,4 Patricia Sanmartín-Fenollera,5 Amparo Talens-Bolós,6 Ramón Morillo-Verdugo7 1Pharmacy Department, Research Group of Hospital Pharmacy, a Coruña Biomedical Research Institute, INIBIC, a Coruña University Hospital (CHUAC), SERGAS, a Coruña University (UDC), A Coruña, Spain; 2Pharmacy Department, Hospital Universitario de Galdakao Usansolo, Pharmacotherapy and Drug Safety Research Group, ISS Biobizkaia, Barakaldo, Spain; 3Pharmacy Service, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova de Lleida, Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacodynamics Research Group, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain; 4Pharmacy Service, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain; 5Pharmacy Service, Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain; 6Pharmacy Service, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, Alicante, Spain; 7Pharmacy Service, Hospital de Valme, Seville, SpainCorrespondence: Luis Margusino-Framiñán, Pharmacy Department, Research Group of Hospital Pharmacy, a Coruña Biomedical Research Institute, INIBIC, a Coruña University Hospital (CHUAC), SERGAS, a Coruña University (UDC), 84 as Xubias St, A Coruña, 15006, Spain, Tel +34981176480, Email [email protected]: Telepharmacy must be monitored within a quality management system in order to guarantee the efficiency, safety and quality of the activities it encompasses. The Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy has proposed the first scorecard of quality and activity indicators for Telepharmacy (TIS). The objective of this project is to validate this TIS for its implementation in hospital pharmacy services.Material and Methods: The project was developed in 4 phases: elaboration of the validation questionnaire/validation criteria; selection of hospitals where the study will be carried out; completion of the validation questionnaire by the selected hospitals; analysis of the results, a proposal of conclusions, and preparation of the final document. The validation criteria were performed using the RAND/UCLA methodology for each of the 5 TIS characteristics: holistic, practical, quantitative, usability, and continuous improvement. Characteristics were considered validated when the median was found to be within the score range 5– 9 and at least 2/3 (66.66%) of the respondents scored in the range containing the median.Results: Forty-four hospitals were included and the responses related to TIS characteristics were: holistic=8.2 and 98.5% of responses > 5; practical=7.9 and 98.9% of responses > 5; quantitative=7.9 and 98.6% of responses > 5; usability=6.9 and 87.37% of responses > 5; continuous improvement= 7.9 and 100% of responses > 5.Discussion: TIS has been validated for use in hospital pharmacy services and its tools and supporting documents are very useful and comprehensive. Hospital informatics systems are needed to allow efficient extraction of the data necessary to obtain the TIS indices.Keywords: validation studies, telepharmacy, quality indicators, pharmaceutical care, hospital pharmacy services, telemedicine
