| Abstract [eng] |
Master’s thesis by Gabrielė Jurytė: “Remote Sale of Medicines Prescribed by Electronic Prescription”. Scientific supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr Indrė Trečiokienė. Vilnius University, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Centre of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. Aim: To assess changes in residents’ habits when using remote distribution services to purchase medicines prescribed by electronic prescription. Objectives: 1)To assess how often respondents purchased medicines prescribed by electronic prescription from online pharmacies; 2)to identify factors influencing the purchase of medicines prescribed by electronic prescription from online pharmacies; 3)to compare remote purchasing experiences in 2024–2025. Methodology: A descriptive quantitative repeated cross-sectional study was conducted. A questionnaire was developed to determine whether people purchase prescription medicines remotely and which age and education groups are most likely to use online pharmacy services. The questionnaire was created using Qualtrics and Microsoft Teams and consisted of 24 questions, including 5 routing questions. Respondents could also answer an open-ended question about what would encourage residents to purchase medicines remotely more often. Data were collected in two periods: from 3 April to 5 May 2024 and from 4 October to 31 December 2025. The questionnaire was publicly available online. Invitations to participate were sent to elderships, Universities of the Third Age, community pharmacies, and patient associations. In 2024, the invitation was also shared on the websites and social media accounts of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, the Ministry of Health, and the State Medicines Control Agency. In 2025, the questionnaire link was posted on the website of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University. The data were analysed in 2026. Results: In total, 1647 fully completed questionnaires were obtained: 620 in the first study stage and 1027 in the second. In 2024, 66% of respondents were aware of the remote sale of medicines prescribed by electronic prescription, compared with 45% in 2025. Awareness was highest among women with higher education. In 2024, awareness was associated with older age and higher income, while in 2025 it was associated with more frequent use of the e-health portal. Among all participants, 28 respondents purchased medicines electronically in 2024 and 35 in 2025. In 2024, the intention to purchase or actual purchase of medicines remotely was influenced by the belief that it is possible to purchase medicines prescribed for another person if access to that person’s e-health account is available, as well as by the respondent’s age. In 2025, intention to purchase or actual purchase was influenced by the desire to learn more about remote sale of medicines and by the use of e-health services. The most common reasons for not purchasing medicines prescribed by electronic prescription online were excessively long delivery times and the inability to find the required medicine. Respondents indicated that residents would be encouraged to use online pharmacies by more information about this option, clear instructions, alternative product suggestions, more favourable prices, and free delivery. Conclusions: Remote purchase of prescription medicines in Lithuania remains limited, as medicines prescribed by electronic prescription are more often purchased in physical pharmacies; digital literacy promotes remote purchasing, which is used more often by younger residents and those with higher income; the intensity of online pharmacy purchasing did not change in 2024–2025, while shopping experiences were rated more positively in 2024. |
