Quality of global e-pharmacies: can we safeguard consumers?

Bessell, Tracey Lee; Silagy, Chris; Anderson, Jeremy; Hiller, Janet E.; Sansom, Lloyd

doi:10.1007/s00228-002-0519-5

Cited by 56 publications

(52 citation statements)

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“…Prescription-only drugs [16] including sildenafil [17] may be bought on the internet without prescription. In addition, in the case of sildenafil, which figures among the drugs most frequently sold on the internet [18], 8 of 10 companies took no complete history [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of drug information on the World Wide Web and strategies to improve pages with poor information quality. An intervention study on pages about sildenafil

Martin‐Facklam

Kostrzewa

Martin

et al. 2003

Brit J Clinical Pharma

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British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology DOI:10.1046DOI:10. /j.1365DOI:10. -2125DOI:10. .2003 AimsThe generally poor quality of health information on the world wide web ( WWW) has caused preventable adverse outcomes. Quality management of information on the internet is therefore critical given its widespread use. In order to develop strategies for the safe use of drugs, we scored general and content quality of pages about sildenafil and performed an intervention to improve their quality. MethodsThe internet was searched with Yahoo and AltaVista for pages about sildenafil and 303 pages were included. For assessment of content quality a score based on accuracy and completeness of essential drug information was assigned. For assessment of general quality, four criteria were evaluated and their association with high content quality was determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The pages were randomly allocated to either control or intervention g roup. Evaluation took place before, as well as 7 and 22 weeks after an intervention which consisted of two letters with individualized feedback information on the respective page which were sent electronically to the address mentioned on the page. ResultsProviding references to scientific publications or prescribing information was significantly associated with high content quality (odds ratio: 8.2, 95% CI 3.2, 20.5). The intervention had no influence on general or content quality. ConclusionsTo prevent adverse outcomes caused by misinformation on the W WW individualized feedback to the address mentioned on the page was ineffective. It is currently probably the most straight-forward approach to inform lay persons about indicators of high information quality, i.e. the provision of references. IntroductionThe World Wide Web (WWW) has become an important source of health information. Within the European Union 9% of 16067 people aged over 14 years used the WWW to obtain health information at least once a month, another 14% also used it but less frequently [1]. In line with these figures 37/138 patients attending a rheumatology clinic had searched the internet for med- . Several strategies may be followed to prevent such events caused by misinformation present on the internet. Earlier Silberg suggested four criteria to assist users in finding credible information: authorship, attribution (listing of references), disclosure of financial interests, and currency [7]. Meanwhile DISCERN, whereof inter-rater variability has been determined [8,9], and several other rating instruments [10] are available. In a previous study on pages about the herbal drug St John's Wort and exploring eight different markers, we found that two of these markers (citation of scientific sources and absence of possibility to purchase drug) may serve as indicators of reliable information [11]. Alternatively, quality labels, like HON [12], or quality standards, like the e-health code of ethics [13], aim at improving health information quality on the WWW by voluntary participation [14]. In contras...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of drug information on the World Wide Web and strategies to improve pages with poor information quality. An intervention study on pages about sildenafil

Martin‐Facklam

Kostrzewa

Martin

et al. 2003

Brit J Clinical Pharma

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“…While it is well documented that drugs purchased online from unlicensed pharmacies can have severe effects on the health of consumers [13,14], even people with medical knowledge are evidently unaware of those risks [5], or they choose to ignore such risks for various reasons (e.g. reduced cost, lack of medical insurance) [6,12].…”

Section: Measures Reducing Potential Customersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, by providing access to unapproved drugs, unlicensed online pharmacies put the health of their customers at risk. Bessell et al [13,14] studied the pharmacological information of prescription and over-the-counter drugs advertised at internationally based online pharmacies. They found that the information was usually inappropriate, insufficient, or nonexistent, making the use of those products unsafe.…”

Section: Impact Of Online Pharmacies On Public Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scripting the crime commission process in the illicit online prescription drug trade

Leontiadis

Hutchings

2015

J Cyber Secur

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This article considers the processes in the illicit online prescription drug trade, namely search-redirection attacks and the operation of unlicensed pharmacies using crime script analysis. Empirical data have been used to describe the salient elements of the online criminal infrastructures and associated monetization paths enabling criminal profitability. This analysis reveals the existence of structural chokepoints: components of online criminal operations being limited in number, and critical for the operations' profitability. Consequently, interventions targeting such components can reduce the opportunities and incentives to engage in online crime through an increase in criminal operational costs, and in the risk of apprehension.

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“…10 Consistent with Bessell and colleagues' finding that "epharmacies displaying [privacy statements, information disclaimers, and return policies] often placed all the risk and responsibilities with the consumer and little with the web site operator," we found the status of medical advice on internet pharmacy sites to be questionable. 11 Where a pharmacy is linking to external sites for patient education materials, the company loses control over the quality, completeness, timeliness, and accuracy of the information. The average consumer may not have the ability to discern when a link is redirecting them to a 3 rd party not affiliated with the certified online pharmacy.…”

Section: Innovations In Pharmacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Criteria-based Certification and Validation of Online Pharmacies: Opportunities for Improved Quality and Safety

Ersin¹,

Naistat²

2015

Innov Pharm

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Acknowledgements:The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments that greatly contributed to improving the final version of the paper. Conflict of Interest:The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Key words: online pharmacies; consumer behavior; regulations Abstract Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the conformity of online sites with established quality standards. Methods: Online pharmacies with the NABP Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) designation were scrutinized for their conformity with select criteria established by the National Association of Board of Pharmacies (NABP) and FDA consumer guidelines. Results: 36 VIPPS certified online pharmacy sites were included in the study. The sites were examined against VIPPS and FDA standards. The criteria related to the design and content of the web site and to the pharmaceutical services being offered through the site. Lack of clear terminological distinction between "online pharmacy" (a business) and "online site" (a tool for a business) was problematic. Sites did not adhere to uniform design principles. The scope and availability of pharmaceutical services for online consumers were not readily apparent. Conclusion:The very legitimacy of existing criteria for online pharmacies remains to be established. Significant opportunities exist to improve the quality and scope of policies and to tie them more closely to longstanding best-practices in areas such as web usability and pharmaceutical care. Revision recommendations for VIPPS criteria are discussed. IntroductionTechnology-enabled services have become the bedrock of innovative healthcare and product delivery models. Decreasing cost of technology is allowing companies to satiate growing consumer appetite for convenient, just-intime, and customized products. In this new era, the online marketplace for pharmaceutical care and pharmaceutics has proven to be particularly vast, transnational, and ever expanding. As compared to the traditional brick-and-mortar shopping experience, the online marketplace offers consumers superior convenience, ability to comparison shop for prices, and anonymity.

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Quality of global e-pharmacies: can we safeguard consumers?

Cited by 56 publications

References 0 publications

Quality of drug information on the World Wide Web and strategies to improve pages with poor information quality. An intervention study on pages about sildenafil

Quality of drug information on the World Wide Web and strategies to improve pages with poor information quality. An intervention study on pages about sildenafil

Scripting the crime commission process in the illicit online prescription drug trade

Criteria-based Certification and Validation of Online Pharmacies: Opportunities for Improved Quality and Safety

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