Consumer internet purchasing of medicines using a population sample: A mixed methodology approach

Bowman, Corinne; Family, Hannah; Agius-Muscat, Hugo; Cordina, Maria; Sutton, Jane

doi:10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.09.056

Cited by 25 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In terms of the health information source, social media is the most common source of influence for purchasing medicinal products from the internet. Moreover, the lower cost-saving, easy online access, lack of local availability, wide variety of products, and privacy (41.1%) are the main motivational factors towards purchasing medicinal products from the internet in our study, which has also been reported in other studies ( Assi et al, 2016 , Bowman et al, 2020 ). Although these are the perceived benefits, medicinal products purchased from the internet has possible risks as information are often missing from foreign products, and many products are delivered without any or any adequate declaration of the ingredients and adulteration with synthetic drugs is a potentially serious problem which needs adequate regulatory measures ( Ernst, 2002 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Assi et al, in their cross-sectional study among 320 participants, have reported a higher rate of purchased the medicinal products from the internet, with around two-thirds reported purchasing it ( Assi et al, 2016 ). A recent study among 444 participants found that 0.45% purchased prescription medicines online in the past, while 4.3% purchased over-the-counter medicines, including vitamins, supplements, and herbal combinations ( Bowman et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides, many participants perceived the safety of online medicinal products purchasing. Bowman et al, in their study, found that safety issues was the primary reason for not purchasing online ( Bowman et al, 2020 ). In a systematic review of 193 studies, the researchers found that the quality of drugs purchased from online pharmacies very often found inappropriate packaging and labeling ( Orizio et al, 2011 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have also reported the importance of factors like trust and brand in making purchase decisions and consumers try to be well-aware of the medicine before buying ( Shekhar et al, 2019 ). In a mixed-methods study, interviewees’ main reasons towards internet purchasing of medicines were trust in self-care and health professional, constraints of medicine stock, the influence of cost, and the need for better options ( Bowman et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating the frequency, consumers’ motivation and perception of online medicinal, herbal, and health products purchase safety in Saudi Arabia

Alwhaibi

Asser

Aloola

et al. 2021

Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal

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Objectives Purchasing medicinal products from the internet has become more popular in the last three decades. Understanding consumers’ use and perception of the safety of medicinal products obtained online is essential. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the extent of medicines purchased from the internet in Saudi Arabia, types of products, sources of information, the satisfaction, the motivational factors, and estimate consumers’ vigilance and tendency to report ADRs if occurred. Design A prospective cross-sectional study using a custom-designed questionnaire was conducted among community adults in Saudi Arabia, age ≥ 18. Setting Evaluation of community subjects' perception towards buying medicinal products was done through the internet in Saudi Arabia from 1st July 2020 until the end of August 2020. Main outcome measure(s) The main outcome of the study was purchasing medicinal products from the internet (Yes, No). Results Overall, 36% of the study participants (n = 643) have ever bought medicinal products from the internet ( Table 2 ). Of those, the most obtained was herbal medicine, supplements, or cosmetics (61.3%). Motivational factors towards purchasing medicinal products from the internet were mostly positive, with the most commonly reported agreed motivational factors were lower cost (55.7%), easy online access (54.1%), a wide variety of products (52.6%), and more privacy (43.6%). Around 60.4% of participants believed that buying medicinal products from the internet can be safe. The most perceived risk was the difficulty of distinguishing between registered online pharmacies and other unlicensed commercial websites, with only 32.7% of the participants distinguishing between registered and unlicensed commercial websites. Conclusions This study sheds light on the consumers’ use and perception of the safety and risks of medicinal products purchased from the internet. The study findings noticeably describe the great need to increase safety awareness about obtaining medicinal products from the internet among the Saudi community.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating the frequency, consumers’ motivation and perception of online medicinal, herbal, and health products purchase safety in Saudi Arabia

Alwhaibi

Asser

Aloola

et al. 2021

Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal

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show abstract

“…There are online-only pharmacies too, with no physical presence anywhere. And among these last ones are multitudes of illegal or unethical online pharmacies [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Emergent Business of Internet Pharmacies: Convenience, Risks, Regulatory Policies and Future

Shaikh

Buzdar

Pahore

et al. 2019

JPRI

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Healthcare is a core issue for all individuals, societies and states. There are continuous and aggressive efforts everywhere to improve healthcare conditions for people. With the rise of the World Wide Web, every sphere of life has gone through a huge revolution and so has the field of medicine. As people get more and more access to the internet, the trend to search for information related to health has also gone high. According to web data, almost 4.5% of all internet search is related to healthcare. 72% of the US and 71% of the European internet users have searched for information related to health during the past year. This is overwhelming. Mobile phone devices have further pushed this trend to new heights. But the point of caution is that internet users have started to get self-diagnosis online. Not only that, but the tendency to order medicine online has also gone up. ‘Pharmaceuticals’ is a huge part of the medicine industry. Just like any other business going online during the recent decades, the pharmacies have also gone online and against any apprehensions, they have met an overwhelming success there. There is an ever-growing number of online customers for internet pharmacies. The convenience of home delivery is always alluring and comparatively, the economical cost is an added benefit. But along this success came some serious issues forcing the authorities to enact regulations. This paper expounds on the historical development of internet pharmacies, their rapid growth during recent times, their advantages, concerns and regulatory actions to keep them under control. It also contains a bit of advice to the customers to avoid monetary and physical harm from illegal pharmacies online.

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Digital Pharmacy in Industry 4.0: A Case of Consumer Buying Behaviour Pattern Using TAM Model

Ghosh

Mohanty

Goel

et al. 2023

Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems

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Consumer internet purchasing of medicines using a population sample: A mixed methodology approach

Cited by 25 publications

References 26 publications

Evaluating the frequency, consumers’ motivation and perception of online medicinal, herbal, and health products purchase safety in Saudi Arabia

Evaluating the frequency, consumers’ motivation and perception of online medicinal, herbal, and health products purchase safety in Saudi Arabia

The Emergent Business of Internet Pharmacies: Convenience, Risks, Regulatory Policies and Future

Digital Pharmacy in Industry 4.0: A Case of Consumer Buying Behaviour Pattern Using TAM Model

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