Background and importance A telepharmacy programme (TPP) started in December 2019 delivering medication to primary healthcare centres through a pharmaceutical telephone care service from Hospital Pharmacy. Outpatients from all pathologies were included except onco-haematology, and erythropoietin patients.

Aim and objectives To evaluate outpatients’ satisfaction with the TPP and its indirect impact on work and family conciliation.

Material and methods A random survey was conducted from 15 September 2020 to 1 October 1 2021 to patients included in the TPP. Inclusion criteria were being an adult aged over 18 years old and a TPP user for 6 or more months. Information regarding sociodemographic data (sex, age, studies, work situation), Likert-type questions about satisfaction with the TPP, most and least valued TPP feature, frequency of dispensing prior to inclusion, and time spent on face-to-face consultations at the hospital pharmacy was collected. In order to evaluate the indirect impact of the TPP service, the working time gained per patient and year was calculated, especially the time gained in labour-active patients.

Results 97 (34.1%) of 284 patients were included in the TPP. 53.6% men, 59.8% aged over 50 years, 73.2% with basic studies or without studies, 35% in employment. 75.3% patients attended the pharmacy service on a monthly basis before inclusion in the TPP; once included, 56.7% had received medication at the primary care centre four times or more at the time of the study. 92.7% of the surveyed patients rated TPP satisfaction with the highest score (ie, 5/5 points). The most valued features were time and/or economic saving (62.9%), pharmaceutical care received (20.6%) and family or work conciliation (both 13.4%). The worst valued features were days and time slot established to dispense medication in primary healthcare centres (18.5%) and the confidentiality of the delivery (6.2%). Surveyed patients required on average 89.5 min to go and come back from hospital; furthermore, among labour-active patients the average on face-to-face consultation was 87 min. Inclusion in the TPP allows an average of 17.4 hours/patient/year working time gained.

Conclusion and relevance TPP achieves a high degree of satisfaction in hospital outpatients, showing a saving on indirect costs between employed patients, where time and economic trip saving were the benefits most valued by users. However, delivery schedule assignment of medication was the least popular feature.

Conflict of interest No conflict of interest