A Novel Model of Integrating Community Pharmacies With Telepharmacy Into the Telemedicine-Based Sick Child Care System in Japan

Community pharmacies play a pivotal role in community healthcare. Recent technological advances, particularly the application of telemedicine in line with telepharmacy, are changing daily practice and creating new opportunities for pharmacies. We present a novel telemedicine-based sick child care system in Japan in which community pharmacies participate. In this system, when caregivers bring their child to a sick child care facility, on-site staff conduct teleconsultations with pediatricians. Childcare can be initiated immediately after the initial medical assessment. When medication is required, prescriptions are electronically transmitted to the family's preferred community pharmacy. The pharmacy prepares and delivers medications directly to the childcare facility, where they are administered by on-site staff. Pharmacists can also provide teleconsultation as a type of telepharmacy to caregivers and on-site staff. Using this system, community pharmacies could contribute to the reduction in the time from medical assessment to the initiation of sick child care. This system also provides safe and improved care efficiency by sharing medication-related healthcare information with all staff involved. We present a novel approach with the possible involvement of community pharmacies in supporting sick child care domains that have not yet been widely introduced in the field. This system highlights the importance of close collaboration between pediatricians, childcare staff, and community pharmacists in digitally enabled community healthcare.