Abstract
Background The numbers of online-only pharmacies are growing worldwide. Only the literature on how counselling is carried out at online-only pharmacies is limited.
Purpose The study investigates the scope, content and different platforms for counselling at an online-only pharmacy in Denmark and identifies pros and cons with online counselling expressed by the pharmacy staff employed.
Method A mixed methods approach was applied including quantitative data extraction from a statistical tool (e-track), observations of pharmacy staff for two days, and six semi-structured interviews with pharmacy staff.
Findings Most of the e-mail inquiries in the pharmacy concern prescription medicines (52%), whereas most chat inquiries are related to “other goods and skin care” (24%). Staff observations revealed that most inquiries were related to “other goods” and “technical questions” across the three counselling channels telephone, chat and e-mail. The pharmacy is especially suitable for counselling about topics of discretion. There is a tendency to not provide information in a sufficiently patient-centered way when it comes to written information. Pharmacy staff sometimes misses the non-verbal communication in the concrete counselling situation.
Conclusion Three channels for counselling were used in the online-only pharmacy, namely telephone, chat and e-mail. Each channel has different pros and cons. Different customer types use the online-only pharmacy, and thus the types of inquiries for counselling differ as well. Further research is needed on patients’ experiences with counselling and their needs, including what information channels they prefer.
Purpose The study investigates the scope, content and different platforms for counselling at an online-only pharmacy in Denmark and identifies pros and cons with online counselling expressed by the pharmacy staff employed.
Method A mixed methods approach was applied including quantitative data extraction from a statistical tool (e-track), observations of pharmacy staff for two days, and six semi-structured interviews with pharmacy staff.
Findings Most of the e-mail inquiries in the pharmacy concern prescription medicines (52%), whereas most chat inquiries are related to “other goods and skin care” (24%). Staff observations revealed that most inquiries were related to “other goods” and “technical questions” across the three counselling channels telephone, chat and e-mail. The pharmacy is especially suitable for counselling about topics of discretion. There is a tendency to not provide information in a sufficiently patient-centered way when it comes to written information. Pharmacy staff sometimes misses the non-verbal communication in the concrete counselling situation.
Conclusion Three channels for counselling were used in the online-only pharmacy, namely telephone, chat and e-mail. Each channel has different pros and cons. Different customer types use the online-only pharmacy, and thus the types of inquiries for counselling differ as well. Further research is needed on patients’ experiences with counselling and their needs, including what information channels they prefer.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 12, Part B |
| Pages (from-to) | 5-5 |
| ISSN | 1934-8150 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |