Older adults’ perception and Readiness Toward Telepharmacy Services: a cross-sectional study from Malaysia

Introduction. Despite a growing trend in Malaysians using telepharmacy, older adults’ knowledge and perception on telehealth remains unexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the Malaysian older adults’ perception, knowledge and preparedness concerning telepharmacy services. Method. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Malaysian citizens ≥ 60 years, living in Kuantan with chronic diseases and at least three months of medication history. A questionnaire was developed, translated to Malay language and then validated before being used. Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test and multiple regression analysis were performed using SPSS version 22. Results. The study involved 332 participants with a median age of 66.5 years. The study revealed gaps in knowledge and experience about telepharmacy services. While most participants expressed positive perceptions, concerns regarding effectiveness and social aspects of the services were noted. Despite high willingness to utilize all telepharmacy services, only 36.4% were willing to pay for the services. On the other hand, the majority (78.6%) owned technology devices, and 58.4% had advanced online experience, indicating readiness for telepharmacy use. Age and education level significantly influenced perceptions, with higher education levels and younger age positively impacting perception. Conclusions. Older adults have an overall positive perception about telepharmacy with willingness to use its services. However, most of them still believe that traditional method is more effective and safer than telepharmacy. Future research should aim to develop targeted interventions to increase knowledge and understanding of telepharmacy services. Also, implementing affordable pricing telepharmacy services may enhance the accessibility of these services.