Abstract
Objectives
Online pharmacies have emerged as a novel method for procuring reimbursable medicines. The study aimed to compare consumers’ patterns of reimbursable prescription medications between online-only and community pharmacies in The North Denmark Region which is one of five regions in Denmark.
Method
The retrospective study used registered data for all reimbursable medicine prescriptions from pharmacies in 2022 across Denmark but specifically retrieved from patients residing in The North Denmark Region.
Key findings
In 2022, 4414 and 395 438 patients obtained reimbursable medicines from 2 online-only and 240 community pharmacies, respectively. The age distribution of patients using online-only pharmacies was significantly different from community pharmacies (P < .001) as the proportion of patients in age groups 30–69 years was higher for online-only pharmacies. Whereas patients above the age of 70 were more likely to fill prescriptions from community pharmacies. The gender distribution of patients using online-only pharmacies was different from community pharmacies (P < .001) as a higher proportion of females filled prescriptions from online-only pharmacies. The distribution of patients’ living areas differed between the two types of pharmacies (P < .001), where the proportion of patients from metropolitan municipalities was higher at online-only pharmacies. The distribution of prescriptions by anatomical therapeutic chemical code differed between the two types of pharmacies (P < .001).
Conclusion
Consumer patterns were different between online-only and community. These insights may inform pharmacy owners, ensuring both online and community pharmacies meet public health needs effectively in the future.
Online pharmacies have emerged as a novel method for procuring reimbursable medicines. The study aimed to compare consumers’ patterns of reimbursable prescription medications between online-only and community pharmacies in The North Denmark Region which is one of five regions in Denmark.
Method
The retrospective study used registered data for all reimbursable medicine prescriptions from pharmacies in 2022 across Denmark but specifically retrieved from patients residing in The North Denmark Region.
Key findings
In 2022, 4414 and 395 438 patients obtained reimbursable medicines from 2 online-only and 240 community pharmacies, respectively. The age distribution of patients using online-only pharmacies was significantly different from community pharmacies (P < .001) as the proportion of patients in age groups 30–69 years was higher for online-only pharmacies. Whereas patients above the age of 70 were more likely to fill prescriptions from community pharmacies. The gender distribution of patients using online-only pharmacies was different from community pharmacies (P < .001) as a higher proportion of females filled prescriptions from online-only pharmacies. The distribution of patients’ living areas differed between the two types of pharmacies (P < .001), where the proportion of patients from metropolitan municipalities was higher at online-only pharmacies. The distribution of prescriptions by anatomical therapeutic chemical code differed between the two types of pharmacies (P < .001).
Conclusion
Consumer patterns were different between online-only and community. These insights may inform pharmacy owners, ensuring both online and community pharmacies meet public health needs effectively in the future.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | International Journal of Pharmacy Practice |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-6 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISSN | 0961-7671 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 3 Feb 2025 |