Telematics applications to support the role of the community pharmacists as self-medication advisors. TESEMED Consortium

Stud Health Technol Inform. 1999:68:764-7.

Abstract

One of the applications developed within the EU-funded projects TESEMED and TESEMED-II is a program for the information and continuous training of community pharmacists, with the aim to empower them as advisors of the citizens about self-medication topics. Several programs are being developed on the basis of ad-hoc developed protocols about minor ailments (currently, cold and flu, haemorrhoids, constipation and cough). Each program includes three modules: a hypertextual version of the protocol, an interactive scheme of it, and an educational tool called Encounter Simulator, that trains the pharmacist about the protocol by means of simulated pharmacist-customer interactions. The testing of these applications with 84 community pharmacists offers positive results in terms of expectations, program characteristics and perceived usefulness.

MeSH terms

  • Common Cold / drug therapy
  • Computer Simulation
  • Drug Information Services*
  • European Union
  • Humans
  • Influenza, Human / drug therapy
  • Medical Informatics Applications*
  • Pharmacists*
  • Self Medication*
  • Software