Ask the pharmacist: an analysis of online drug information services

The Internet plays a large role in the provision of drug information. Given the growing number of patients seeking consultation on the Internet and the difficulty in regulating online pharmacy providers, an analysis of drug information provided by Internet pharmacies is warranted.

To assess the response rates and quality of responses to drug information questions submitted to "ask the pharmacist"services on Internet pharmacy sites and determine whether differences exist between National Association of Boards of Pharmacy-approved and nonapproved sites and among free-standing, chain, and independent pharmacy sites in the quality of information provided.

A content analysis was conducted on responses to 5 drug information questions electronically mailed to each of 64 Internet pharmacies identified through a meta-engine search. Three judges rated the quality of response components using a scoring system developed by an expert panel, with inter-rater reliabilities subsequently calculated. Both t-test and ANOVA procedures tested for differences in response quality.

Responses were received for 51% of all questions submitted to the sites. Few differences in quality were found between approved/unapproved sites and among types of pharmacies. The percentage of correct responses provided for each of 22 response components ranged from 7% to 96%.

While few differences were found among sites based on their approval status or type, low response rates and incomplete counseling information among many of the responses are cause for concern.