Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Sep 8:13:1513338.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1513338. eCollection 2025.

The benefits of online access to prescription medicines: the European patient's perspective

Christian Jervelund  1 , Bruno Basalisco  1 , Malwina Mejer  2 , Marco Islam  1 , Mads Thorkild Nissen  1 , Michael Isles  3
Affiliations

The benefits of online access to prescription medicines: the European patient's perspective

Christian Jervelund et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: In the evolving EU healthcare landscape, online access to prescription medicines is rising. The EU legislation provides a legal framework for safe online access, aligning supply rules with physical pharmacies and providing specific measures against counterfeiting. Eight Member States allow online access to prescription medicines.

Objectives: The study aims to understand factors influencing EU citizens' propensity to obtain prescription medicines online.

Methods: The online survey was conducted in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden with 1,000 responses per country, to help ensure representatives in terms of age, gender, and macro-region. Parametric tests and regression analysis to control for confounding factors were used. In countries where online access to prescription medicines was allowed, current usage choices and preferences was asked. In countries where online access was not allowed, questions about the intended use and preferences if prescription medicines became available online was asked.

Results: Thirty four percent (34%) of respondents expressed interest in obtaining prescription medicines online. This interest is was slightly higher among people with chronic conditions (36.2%) and their caregivers (41.4%). Respondents facing long distances to pharmacies or perceiving their opening hours as inconvenient expressed a preference for online access. Additionally, a number of respondents believed that online access could improve adherence to prescribed courses of medication. In particular, 64% of the chronically ill respondents who reported adherence problems due to time constraints believed that online access would improve their adherence. In countries where online access was permitted, rates of non-adherence caused by time constraints were 22 percentage points (p < 0.001: 95%CI: 0.153-0.298) lower. An assumption might be therefore made that online access could benefit both caregivers and chronically ill patients, by managing adherence more effectively.

Conclusion: Given the findings in this large scale survey and taking in to account the pharmacists interviewed about potential practical barriers, it would seem reasonable for EU Member States who currently prohibit online access to prescription medicines to consider reviewing the current national legislation.

Keywords: adherence; chronic; convenience; online; prescription.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

    1. Deetjen U. European e-prescriptions: Benefits and success factors Oxford University Working Paper; (2016).
    1. Oktarlina RZ. E-prescribing: benefit, barrier, and adopting challenge in electronic prescribing. J Med. (2020) 21:98–101. doi: 10.3329/jom.v21i2.50213 - DOI
    1. Racek C, Czirfusz A. Advantages of the introduction of electronic healthcare prescriptions before COVID era experiences in Pioneer countries Estonia and Finland and the status in Germany. Clinical Social Work Health Intervention. (2018) 2:39.
    1. Fittler A, Vida RG, Kaplar M, Botz L. Consumers turning to the internet pharmacy market: a cross-sectional study on the frequency and attitudes of Hungarian patients purchasing medications online. J Med Internet Res. (2018) 20. doi: 10.2196/11115, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kardas P. From non-adherence to adherence: can innovative solutions resolve a longstanding problem? Eur J Intern Med. (2024) 119:6–12. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2023.10.012 - DOI - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources