Impact of a pharmacist-led collaborative approach to care for treatment of COVID-19 in the outpatient setting

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PURPOSE: The SARS-CoV-2 virus, causing COVID-19, remains a threat to patients and healthcare systems across the country. Oral antiviral therapy is available to reduce risk of patient hospitalization and death; however, limited access to medications, complex drug interactions, and the importance of timeliness in initiating therapy have proven to be challenging. This report aims to describe a pharmacist-driven telehealth service that provided safe and efficient access to antivirals for the treatment of COVID-19 and assess the population impacted. SUMMARY: This observational study was conducted from January 2022 to September 2023, during which time a COVID-19 pharmacist referral hub was utilized at Legacy Health. Patients documented to be positive for COVID-19 infection and who had a primary care provider within Legacy Health were included in the study. Demographics and descriptive data regarding antiviral prescribing for patients who were managed by an ambulatory care pharmacist were assessed. Patient demographics were statistically compared between groups to investigate antiviral access for marginalized populations. A total of 22,983 unique COVID-19 infections occurred during the study period, and ambulatory care pharmacists within Legacy Health managed 19.8% of all documented COVID-19 infections in our study population. The pharmacy team generated 3,820 antiviral prescriptions for treatment of COVID-19. The median time from symptom onset to antiviral prescription was 1 day. CONCLUSION: This pharmacist-led telehealth service had a significant impact in expanding access to COVID-19 antiviral treatment, which is pivotal in broadening access to timely COVID-19 antiviral treatment for all vulnerable patient groups when resources are limited.

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