ArticleInnovations in pharmacy2019
Consumer and Community Pharmacists' Perceptions of Online Pharmacy Services in Uyo Metropolis, Nigeria.
Article in Innovations in pharmacy, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices and demand-side interventions for combating substandard and falsified medicines: a scoping review.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Review
- A qualitative exploration of consumers' views and experiences toward online pharmacies: Narrative from a developing country.PloS one · 2025Article
- Health technology in Nigeria: What are Nigerian startups working on?Innovations in pharmacy · 2025Article
- Purchasing medicines and functional foods on the internet: a cross-sectional study investigating the knowledge, attitudes, and experience of Vietnamese people in 2023.BMC public health · 2024Article
- What influences consumers' online medication purchase intentions and behavior? A scoping review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOnline pharmacies benefit consumer healthcare experience through affording convenience, efficiency, greater confidentiality, and improved access to medicines. There are several online pharmacies in Nigeria, however, studies about their use as well as consumer and pharmacists' perceptions of the service are lacking.
objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate community pharmacists' and consumer perceptions of online pharmacy services (OPS) in Uyo metropolis, Nigeria.
methodThis was a cross-sectional survey involving community pharmacists and consumers. The survey instrument was a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Survey data was analysed descriptively using frequencies and percentages while X
resultsIn total, 60 community pharmacists and 500 consumers replied to the survey. Although the majority (>85%) of the survey respondents reported frequent internet use, only about a third (28%) of the consumers and 57% of the pharmacists were aware of the availability of online pharmacy services in Nigeria. In general, majority of the consumers were positive about using online pharmacies with approximately two thirds (67%) indicating that they would consider purchasing medicines from the service in future. Also, 83% of the consumers indicated that access to online drug information and medicine advice via the service will be valuable. There was a significant (P <0.05) association between consumers' online shopping behaviour and their likelihood to use the service. Also, majority (92%) of the community pharmacists in this survey agreed that online pharmacies promote pharmaceutical care and this perceived need was associated with their likelihood to provide the service in future (p=0.002). Consumer concerns about the service included the risk of substandard and counterfeit medicines, internet security, unavailability of prescribed brands, chances of ordering wrong medicines and uncertainty about timely delivery.
conclusionOverall awareness of the availability of online pharmacy services in Nigeria is limited in the survey population despite reported frequent internet use in this cohort. Generally, our findings suggest the potential for future uptake of online pharmacy services and highlight the need for a standardised approach to service provision as well as a regulatory framework to improve consumer confidence and alleviate the concerns raised.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.