(Newswire.net — September 15, 2021) —
If you have a medical condition, ensuring that you regularly take your medications is essential. When you get dosages and timings right, it optimally supports your health.
Keeping on top of your drug schedule, though, is sometimes challenging, particularly if you rely on brick-and-mortar pharmacies. You have to make regular trips which are both time-consuming and costly. It’s not always easy.
Furthermore, you have to remember when to return to the pharmacy to collect more medicine. Often, you don’t realize you need to stock up until you’re down to your last packet.
Fortunately, online pharmacies are here to help. They let you keep track of your medications all in one place and give you helpful reminders when you need more.
Online Pharmacies Are Convenient And Easy To Use
According to a new poll, around 25 percent of people say that they plan on using online pharmacies to buy medication, a significant increase from 2019. Across all demographics, 62 percent cited “convenience” as the primary driver of their decision to buy online, closely followed by “cost” at 52 percent.
Online pharmacies are increasingly being seen as an alternative to traditional options. They provide a greater range of medicines for people confined to their homes (and for those who live a long way from the pharmacy).
They also make it easier for customers to compare prices and find the best products for them. Online stores are transparent about the cost of medicine, allowing patients to avoid high fees.
Online Pharmacy Rules
In the UK, the General Pharmaceutical Council independently regulates pharmacies, including those that operate over the internet, such as Oxford Online Pharmacy. It’s task is to ensure that patients only receive the medicines that are clinically appropriate for them. This rule is particularly critical with regards to medicines liable to abuse or misuse.
The regulator also expects pharmacies to have systems in place that can perform appropriate identity checks on patients. The level of identity checking depends on the risk profile of the patient. If the patient is ordering from overseas, then the level of safeguarding should be higher.
How Do Online Pharmacies Work?
Under a traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacy setup, patients first went to their doctor and then took a physical prescription to the pharmacy. The pharmacist would then prepare the medicine before bottling it and handing it over the counter.
Online pharmacies work differently. First, you have to open an account with the pharmacy and submit some personal details. Then, once the account is up and running, you order medicines. If medicines are prescription-only, you will need to get a prescription.
Typically, there are two ways of doing this. You can either consult the pharmacy’s online doctor (licensed to hand out prescriptions), or provide an original copy of a prescription from another doctor.
If you need a prescription but don’t have one yet, you will need to complete a questionnaire asking for more details. The information you provide helps the online doctor get a full overview of your situation so that they can determine whether the medicines you require are suitable. It’s important that you provide as much accurate information as possible, since this will increase the likelihood that you’ll get the right drugs.
Most online pharmacies will not automatically pass on your details to your regular GP. However, they can do so if you want them to. In some cases, the online pharmacy’s doctor will want to talk to you over the phone to confirm more details to ensure that you get the right medicine.
Once you confirm your order, the online pharmacy will ask you to do one of three things (or give you a choice of either):
- Collect your prescription from a local pharmacy
- Collect your prescription from a local secure locker
- Deliver your prescription to your home address
In the majority of cases, you will choose the third option – home delivery. However, there may be circumstances where the other two options are better for you. Sometimes, they allow you to get the medicines you need faster.
If you have any questions about which drugs you need, you can always call the pharmacy. They will be happy to provide advice on over-the-counter medications, just as regular pharmacists are in brick-and-mortar stores.
How Online Pharmacies Are Improving Patients’ Lives
Online pharmacies have been around for more than two decades. There are currently 350 operating in the UK, with the larger outlets boasting more than 300,000 unique patients, dispensing millions of packets of medication every month.
Online pharmacies have come along at just the right time. Their popularity is partly to do with their convenience, but the underlying driver of their growth is the UK’s aging population. With more people older than 65 wanting convenient access to drugs, demand is going up.
Interestingly, the established medical community is learning from online pharmacies. The NHS, for instance, is looking at abolishing traditional paper prescriptions altogether in favour of low-cost digital alternatives. Patients can then nominate an online pharmacy to deliver their order, right from the GP’s office.
Prescription volumes are already putting a strain on the UK’s brick-and-mortar pharmacies. In the future, these may increase further. At the same time, many traditional outlets are closing because of increasing economic pressures.
The NHS Long-Term Plan hints at the intended role of pharmacists in the future. It envisions a world where brick-and-mortar pharmacies move away from drug dispensing and focus more on patient care and symptom management. Online vendors will naturally fill the gap, offering a cost-effective alternative for patients who require a steady supply of drugs.
Final Comments
Online pharmacies are cornering the market in the UK, proving popular among a population that expects utmost convenience. Every year, the number of people using these services grows, not only because they are easy to use, but also because they help avoid any travel expenses.