Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38025110›Full record

ArticleDigital health

Exploring the rise of telehealth services in Malaysia: A retrospective study.

Jason Se Loo, Hui Yin Yow, Yi Yang Ten, Kayatri Govindaraju, Megat Helmi Megat Mohd Zubairi, Hui Che Oui, Nusaibah Abdul Rahim

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Jason Se LooSchool of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia.
Hui Yin YowDepartment of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9455-0817
Yi Yang TenDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Kayatri GovindarajuDepartment of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Megat Helmi Megat Mohd ZubairiDOC2US, Heydoc International Sdn Bhd, Malaysia.
Hui Che OuiDOC2US, Heydoc International Sdn Bhd, Malaysia.
Nusaibah Abdul RahimDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
University of Malaya · MYTaylor's University · MY

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Telehealth services have gained popularity in Malaysia, providing convenient consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is limited research on their usage, user demographics and prescribed medications. This study aims to fill that gap by investigating telehealth service utilisation in community pharmacies and identifying trends in common diagnoses and medications prescribed. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using a telehealth services database in Malaysian community pharmacies. Consultation records from January 2019 to December 2021 were extracted using a data collection form. The study identified the service usage over time, demographic profiles of users and the most common diagnoses and prescribed medications. Diagnoses were classified using the International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision (ICD-10), and medications were classified using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) system. Results: The study included 835,826 telehealth service records, with 88.8% being assisted consultations with e-prescriptions and 11.2% direct consultations. The user population consisted of primarily Malaysians (96.9%), with a mean age of 50 ± 21 years. Both telehealth services saw an increase in unique users over the 3-year study period. There was a moderate correlation between active COVID-19 cases and monthly user count. Assisted consultations were more widely used than direct consultations. Conclusion: This study found an increased usage of telehealth services and its potential to remain as a healthcare system feature in community pharmacies. Further investigation into the impact on medication safety, quality and healthcare delivery is warranted.

Indexed as

community pharmacyconsultationCOVID-19‌electronic prescriptione-prescribingTelehealth

Identifiers

PMID38025110
PMCPMC10664425
OpenAlexW4388917136

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.