You are invited to complete this survey about phone, video, email and messaging use in pharmacy by sharing your experiences and ideas. Your answers will help to improve the way that telehealth is used in the future. No personal health information is sought. Please read this Information Sheet and click ‘Next’ at the end of this page to go to the next page.
What is this research about and what will it involve?
Provision of care has changed across the health sector since the COVID–19 lockdowns started on 23 March, 2020. Pharmacies stayed open throughout all Alert Levels, but the way they work has changed. This research aims to answer the question, “What is the community pharmacy provider experience of telehealth and how do they perceive this mode of care delivery going forward?”
We seek information from you about how telehealth consultations with your patients and customers have worked out for you since March last year. With the information you give us we will better understand what has worked well and what can be improved. This gives us real experiences to help guide services and policies about the way things should work to get the best outcomes for consumers, whānau and pharmacy providers.
Your participation involves completing this survey, which should take up to 30 minutes. It does not need to be completed in one sitting – you can return any time if interrupted and the survey program (Qualtrics) will take you to the last question you answered.
Completion of the survey may involve data charges on your device (phone, tablet, desktop computer or laptop), depending on how you access the survey.
Some terms that we use
- When we talk about “pharmacy”, we mean the physical premises, building, or rooms where you see your patients and customers.
- When we talk about a “pharmacist”, we are referring to a pharmacist, intern pharmacist or pharmacy technician.
- A “consultation” is any real-time discussion with a patient about their health.
- “Emails” include correspondence via direct emails and/or online forms (excluding general messaging, e.g. pharmacy notices).
- “Messaging” includes texts (also known as SMS or short message service on phones), or messages via messaging platforms, e.g. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or similar (excluding general messaging, e.g. pharmacy notices).
- “Telehealth” refers to health care that is delivered where the patient and provider are not in the same physical location. This can use methods such as phone or video calls, emails, or messages or a combination. It can be in ‘real time’ (via phone or video) or ‘delayed’ (via emails and messages even when replies are quick).
- Telehealth interactions can be “planned” (where the meeting or discussion is arranged in advance to cover specific things), or “impromptu” (where a discussion was triggered by something (e.g., a question about an over the counter (OTC) treatment for a condition).
Who can take part?
Anyone can take part as long as you
- Are older than 18 years
- Are a pharmacist, pharmacy intern or pharmacy technician
- Have conducted at least one telehealth consultation with a patient or customer since 23 March, 2020
- Are able to understand English well enough to complete the survey
- Currently reside in Aotearoa/New Zealand
- Are able to confirm that you have understood what the study is about and agree to participate.
Your rights
You are under no obligation to accept this invitation, i.e. your participation is voluntary. If you decide to participate, you have the right to
- Not answer some questions.
- Withdraw from the study any time before completing the survey. Once you have pressed “submit”, your anonymous answers cannot be traced or removed.
- Ask any questions about the study, using the contact details at the end of this sheet.
- Provide information on the understanding that your name will not be used unless you give permission to the researcher. This survey is anonymous (we will not know your name), so we will not be able to attach your name to it.
- Be given a summary of the project findings when it is concluded.
Benefits and risks
Participating may give you insights into your experience of telehealth that may allow you to meet your needs better in the future. We aim to use the survey results to improve telehealth use by improving policies, guidelines and practices. It is not anticipated that you would experience any discomfort or risks by taking part in this survey, but if you do feel any distress, please contact your health provider.
Survey data
Data will be collected and stored securely in a survey system, Qualtrics, which is based in the University of Auckland’s secure computer system. Excel spreadsheets will be created from the data and stored in a password protected drive for data analysis. The anonymous survey data will only be accessed by research team members who will present versions of the data in journal publications, presentations and guidelines. Please contact Dr Karen Day email: k.day@auckland.ac.nz if you wish to see a summary report of the analysed data.
Concerns and questions
If you have concerns or questions about the study, please contact the principal investigators: Dr Karen Day email: k.day@auckland.ac.nz, phone +64 9 923 3870 or Associate Professor Dr Inga Hunter email: I.Hunter@massey.ac.nz, phone: +64 6 356 9099 extn 84913
For any ethical concerns, you can contact the Chair of the Auckland Health Research Ethics Committee at ahrec@auckland.ac.nz or at 373 7599 ext 83711, or at Auckland Health Research Ethics Committee, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142.
The research team
This project is being led by a group of researchers from Massey University and the University of Auckland with the support of the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Telehealth Leadership Group (NZTLG).
Principal investigators
Dr Karen Day, University of Auckland and Associate Professor Dr Inga Hunter, Massey University
Named Investigators (in alphabetical order)
Billy Allan (Ministry of Health), Harry Zheng (Ministry of Health), Chloe Campbell (Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand), Dr Emily Gill, University of Auckland; Dr Fiona Moir, University of Auckland; Dr Vasudha Rao, Massey University; Dr Rachel Roskvist, University of Auckland; Dr Greig Russell, MidCentral District Health Board; Mr Bert van der Werf, University of Auckland.
Approved by The Auckland Health Research Ethics Committee (AHREC) on 27/09/2021 for three years. Reference number: AH2539.
Day by Day 