A Comparative Analysis of Consumers’ Patterns of Reimbursable Medications between Online-only and Community Pharmacies

Abstract

Background Online pharmacies have emerged as a novel method for procuring reimbursable medicines. Aim The study aimed to compare consumers’ patterns of reimbursable medications between online-only and community pharmacies in Denmark. Method The retrospective study used registered data for all reimbursable medicine prescriptions from pharmacies in 2022 across Denmark but specifically retrieved from patients residing in The North Denmark Region. Results In 2022, 4,414 and 395,438 patients obtained reimbursable medicines from two online-only and 240 community pharmacies, respectively. The age distribution of patients using online-only pharmacies was significantly different from community pharmacies (P < 0.001). The gender distributions of patients using online-only pharmacies was different from community pharmacies (P < 0.001). The distribution of patients’ living area differed between the two types of pharmacies (P < 0.001). The distribution of prescriptions by ATC code differed between the two types of pharmacies (P < 0.001). Conclusion Consumer patterns were different between online-only and community. This insight may assist healthcare policymakers and stakeholders in optimizing pharmaceutical services for enhanced patient care.