Most pharmacists do not believe that online pharmacies will reduce the number
of community pharmacies, according to a small survey recently conducted by AAH
Pharmaceuticals. Sixty-six of the 100 pharmacists contacted held that view.
“IT can never replace the personal touch,” was how one pharmacist
put it.
Nevertheless, more than a quarter of respondents (26 per cent) said that they
were planning to set up their own web sites and 10 per cent had already done
so. The main objectives of such web sites was the provision of information and
business promotion, rather than sales.
The vast majority of those surveyed (80 per cent) said that they believed that
information technology had had a positive impact on pharmacy. More than half
had already purchased items via the internet.
Opinions varied between those who claimed to be unable to survive without IT
and those who said that there was still a long way to go before everyone was
able to benefit.
About half of those surveyed had access to the internet either at home (54 per
cent) or at work (56 per cent). At work, 21 per cent used it more than once
a day, 21 per cent once a day and 19 per cent less than once a month. Nearly
one in three (29 per cent) had conducted business transactions over the internet,
with generic medicines and parallel imports being the major purchases at 11
per cent each.
Pharmacists who did not purchase online gave such reasons as lack of expertise
and time, inadequate security and a need for faster computer hardware. A further
29 per cent said that they would be more willing to purchase online if pharmaceutical
sites had accreditation from bodies such as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
or the National Pharmaceutical Association.
Nearly half (44 per cent) of those interviewed had been asked questions by customers
about things they had seen on the internet, such as complementary medicines,
herbal products, general product information and general health and illness
issues. Questions were also frequently asked about treatments and medicines
used in other countries.