(P320) PioneerRx eCare: Empowering Rural Pharmacists for Expanded STI Service Delivery

Project: Chaffee County Public Health (CCPH) in collaboration with two local pharmacies are expanding access to STI/HIV testing, treatment, and counseling. Colorado law allows pharmacists to prescribe medications and use point of care testing (POCT). This partnership seeks to build a continuum of care in the pharmacy setting for those who test positive to improve patient outcomes. To do this, PioneerRx software was implemented (late 2022) to capture patient information, move pharmacists through a scripted workflow, and share patient info with CCPH providers to escalate any STI/HIV care needs.

Issue: Chaffee County is one of the only rural counties that has seen increasing HIV cases since 2016. However, almost no prevention, testing, or treatment programming for STI/HIV is available. Community stigma and health literacy present the largest barriers for these services. Through an MOU, patients have the option to test and treat in the pharmacy or be fast-tracked from CCPH for treatment. This project seeks to examine the benefits of implementing a pharmacy-based software platform to build a continuum of care for STI/HIV patients in pharmacy settings.

Results: Since October 2022, the partnership has held 5 meetings and 5 protocols were developed to integrate into PioneerRx. Nineteen pharmacy staff were trained on equipment/software use and counseling. PioneerRx allows pharmacists to e-capture patients’ information and track specific actions and care goals. Pharmacists are prompted how to greet the patient, gather data, and perform STI/HIV POCT. Scripts are available for providing consultation care and access to support navigators. Alerts prompt pharmacists to document follow-ups and patient satisfaction surveys are autogenerated. Program outreach was conducted with 18 local providers and 4 businesses, including distribution of 100 promotional cards. During the first month of implementation, 3 patients were tested; one was a regular pharmacy customer, another was referred from a local clinic. All were negative.

Lessons Learned: All trained pharmacists reported feeling confident and comfortable using the software and administering POCT. Observational feedback from pharmacists led to revising patient in-take forms to ensure patient understanding. Improving sexual health literacy among patients has helped improve pharmacist-patient interactions. Preliminary data suggest promotions and outreach to local clinics may assist with referrals.