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Consumer internet purchasing of medicines using a population sample: A mixed methodology approach
Corinne Bowman1, Hannah Family2, Hugo Agius-Muscat3
1Medicines Use Research Group, Department of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine & Surgery, University of Malta, Malta.
Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy : RSAP
|November 1, 2019
Summary
Maltese residents are cautious about buying medicines online, with very few purchasing over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and almost none buying prescription-only medicines (POMs) due to safety concerns.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacoeconomics
- Public Health
- Digital Health
Background:
- Community pharmacies in Malta offer accessible medicine distribution.
- European trends indicate increasing online purchasing of various products, including medicines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate patterns of online medicine purchasing among residents in Malta.
- To understand the motivations and concerns associated with internet pharmaceutical procurement.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods approach combining a cross-sectional postal survey with semi-structured interviews.
- Survey data from 1996 randomly selected Maltese residents on prescription-only-medicines (POMs) and over-the-counter (OTC) medicine purchasing.
- Thematic analysis of interviews exploring participants' concerns regarding medicine sourcing.
Main Results:
- A low response rate of 22% (N=444) for the survey.
- Only 0.45% reported purchasing POMs online, while 4.3% purchased OTCs (e.g., vitamins, supplements).
- Primary reasons for OTC online purchases included lack of local availability and lower prices; safety concerns were the main deterrent for 41% of non-purchasers.
Conclusions:
- Maltese residents exhibit caution towards online medicine purchases, particularly POMs, due to perceived risks.
- A small proportion of the population purchases OTC medicines online, potentially exposing them to risks from unregulated sources.
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