TABLE 1.
Telepharmacy service users’ demographic and clinical characteristics
| Number of patients (%) | Total | Age, years | p‐value* | Pearson Chi‐square score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (N = 71) | <65 (N = 35) | ≥65 (N = 36) | |||
|
Age, years mean ±S.D. (total range) |
61.31 ± 13.27 (25–85) | 50.63 ± 9.98 | 71.69 ± 5.49 | <0.001** | |
| Gender, female | 36 (50.7%) | 22 (62.9%) | 14 (38.9%) | 0.043 | 4.079 |
| Number of comorbidities a | 1.68 ± 1.20 (0–5) | 1.50 ± 1.60 | 1.82 ± 0.87 | 0.584** | |
| Number of drugs ¶ | 2.05 ± 1.88 (0–7) | 2.27 ± 2.45 | 1.80 ± 1.03 | 0.579** | |
| Date of call, period after launching telepharmacy service | |||||
| Week 1 | 37 (52.1%) | 15 (42.9%) | 22 (61.1%) | 0.124 | 2.370 |
| Week 2 | 13 (18.3%) | 6 (17.1%) | 7 (19.4%) | 0.802 | 0.063 |
| Week 3 | 15 (21.1%) | 10 (28.6%) | 5 (13.9%) | 0.130 | 2.296 |
| Week 4 | 6 (8.5%) | 4 (11.4%) | 2 (5.6%) | 0.429 | 0.791 |
| The main reason for contact with a pharmacist | |||||
| Chronic condition b | 53 (74.6%) | 27 (77.1%) | 26 (72.2%) | 0.953 | 0.672 |
| Acute/subacute condition b | 12 (16.9%) | 6 (17.1%) | 6 (16.7%) | ||
| Information about coronavirus or COVID−19 | 11 (15.5%) | 5 (14.3%) | 6 (16.7%) | 0.782 | 0.077 |
| Status | |||||
| Patients | 60 (84.5%) | 28 (80%) | 32 (88.9%) | 0.343 | 1.071 |
| Service users | 11 (15.5%) | 7 (20%) | 4 (11.1%) | ||
| Counseling topics by organ systems | |||||
| Cardiovascular system | 12 (16.9%) | 5 (14.3%) | 7 (19.4%) | 0.562 | 0.336 |
| Musculoskeletal system | 11 (15.5%) | 5 (14.3%) | 6 (16.7%) | 0.782 | 0.077 |
| Central nervous system | 7 (9.9%) | 5 (14.3%) | 2 (5.6%) | 0.260 | 1.522 |
| Gastrointestinal system | 6 (8.5%) | 0 | 6 (16.7%) | n.a. | n.a. |
| Sensory organs (skin, eye, ear and nose) | 5 (7%) | 3 (8.6%) | 2 (5.6%) | 0.674 | 0.247 |
| Immune system | 4 (5.6%) | 2 (5.7%) | 2 (5.6%) | 1.000 | 0.001 |
| Endocrine system | 3 (4.2%) | 2 (5.7%) | 1 (2.8%) | 0.614 | 0.378 |
| Urogenital system | 3 (4.2%) | 0 | 3 (8.3%) | n.a. | n.a. |
| Blood and blood‐forming organs | 2 (2.8%) | 1 (2.9%) | 1 (2.8%) | 1.000 | 0.000 |
| Respiratory system | 2 (2.8%) | 2 (5.7%) | 0 | n.a. | n.a. |
Abbreviation: S.D., standard deviation.
a
The sample included 19 users’ answers; d – the sample included 21 users’ answers.
b
The values do not add up to the number of 60 patients, as there were multiple conditions concomitantly present in 5 patients; n.a. – not applicable
*
p‐value obtained by Chi‐square test for independence or Fisher's exact test, where appropriate
**
p‐value obtained by Student's t tests.