Online Pharmacies To Pioneer Future Of Healthcare, Claim Medical Experts

Medical experts from The Independent Pharmacy predict the future of online pharmacies as demand for digital healthcare grows. 

The online pharmacy industry is a space of rapid innovation, one that is “evolving quickly to keep up with increased demand for digital healthcare” claims co-founder and registered manager of The Independent Pharmacy, Scott McDougall (MPharm).  

The story at a glance: 

• Online pharmacies to ease pressure on the National Health Service as the expectation for patient treatment via understaffed community pharmacies grows. 

• Artificial intelligence (AI) will be trialled across digital healthcare to support clinicians to increase the speed and accuracy of diagnosis and reduce human error. 

• Access to medication in rural areas is considered vital by The Independent Pharmacy to support healthcare access as community pharmacies increasingly close.  

• User penetration for online pharmacies is expected to reach 47.14% by 2027, with pharmacist Scott McDougall suggesting rapid growth will allow them to provide better healthcare accessibility via “new products, video consultation, and online clinics”. 

Part of the industry's growth was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the merger of NHS England and NHS Digital signalling a transition to digital healthcare, now experts are detailing how online pharmacies are using technological innovation to ease the healthcare burden on existing systems and provide accessible healthcare for all. 

Supporting NHS: Easing the burden on a “pressured system” 

• Pharmacies are playing a bigger role in patient treatment as a first port of call. 

• 440,000 people have been treated for a minor illness at their local pharmacy, with polling showing nine in ten patients are happy with their experience. 

• While the patient treatment role grows, 98% of pharmacy team members say workforce shortages are increasing pressure on their teams – a further 90% indicate they are unable to spend as much time with their patients. 

How will online pharmacies be supporting in-person care?

“To ensure adequate patient care, pharmacies must be able to balance the treatment of patients with timely dispensing of medication and the wellbeing of their staff,” says Scott McDougall of The Independent Pharmacy. “Online pharmacies ease the burden on this pressured system to ensure these practices are successful – this is because online pharmacies deal with many minor ailments and lifestyle conditions patients typically visit a local pharmacy or GP for.”

Scott continues by saying “online pharmacies, like our pharmacy, specialise in fulfilment – a practice of getting medications to people quickly, no matter where they are in the country. We are increasingly being used to support NHS services by supplying treatments. In essence, we ease the burden of in-person services by providing more time for these teams to spend with patients and potentially diagnose and treat those with serious conditions.” 

Artificial Intelligence: Healthcare system trialling AI to reduce human error – but it won’t lose the “personal touch”

• AI is set to improve efficiency across the healthcare industry moving forward.

• Artificial intelligence in the healthcare market is growing exponentially, with recent reports indicating AI in healthcare will be worth $102.7 billion by 2028. 

• In America, the FDA has cleared more than 500 healthcare AI algorithms, with the vast majority of these being related to medical imaging. 

How will artificial intelligence be introduced to online pharmacies? 

“Artificial intelligence will not ever replace humans in the healthcare system, but it can support clinical professionals in decision-making, triage and productivity”, explains Scott McDougall. “The whole healthcare system, including the NHS, is trialling the use of AI in certain areas with the aim of increasing the speed and accuracy of diagnosis, as well as reducing the chance of human error.”

“At The Independent Pharmacy, we are looking for ways to reduce the risk of our services, as well as be able to provide them more quickly and accurately at a time that suits our patients. AI is likely the next logical step”, adds Scott. “AI will support our clinicians to efficiently treat patients without losing the personal touch that is a very important part of healthcare.”

Accessible medication for all: Easy access to medication is especially “vital” to rural communities and the vulnerable

• Healthcare accessibility is a key challenge for the healthcare industry, with many patients living in remote areas where GPs are overprescribed. 

• Online pharmacies could rectify inequalities in healthcare services as reports reveal over a third of pharmacies that closed in the last six years have been in the most deprived parts of the country.

• More will be done to improve trust in the online healthcare industry, helping the “elderly, vulnerable and those living in rural areas feel confident about accessing healthcare options online,” says pharmacist Scott McDougall. 

How will online pharmacies improve healthcare accessibility?

“One of the biggest benefits of online pharmacies is that using one enables patients to access healthcare from home – this is especially important to reduce infection risk in the elderly and vulnerable or help vital medication reach rural communities where the local pharmacy may have closed and the nearest is too far away,” says Scott McDougall. 

Scott adds, “we are making efforts to bridge the learning gap stopping people from these backgrounds from using online pharmacies more often. We actively engage with our patients to address common concerns around the legitimacy of products, providing personal details, and worries about sending pictures of ailments for clinical review.”

“While individual online pharmacies certainly have a role to play, we believe education around online medicine has to be industry-led and pioneered by the regulators to ensure confidence in the general public,” concludes Scott. 

Market Growth: Grow with demand without losing sight of patients – “ensuring safe and effective treatments” is key

• Statista project the UK online pharmacy segment to reach $0.89 billion in 2023, showing rapid growth over a short period of time. 

• The European online pharmacy market is forecast to reach $44.8 billion by 2027. 

• Future growth is likely due to market trends such as escalating adoption of artificial intelligence and the rising implementation of e-prescriptions.  

How will The Independent Pharmacy grow in the next five years? 

“As demand for online healthcare grows we hope and aim to grow with it,” says Scott. “That said, online pharmacies should look to innovate while keeping patients at the heart of things. Patients should always be central to any technological improvement, supporting them and ensuring they have access to safe and effective treatments for their conditions. This will  enable them to live healthy and productive lives. It is not about growth for growth's sake but to deliver for patients.”

Scott adds, “as the digital healthcare and online pharmacy industries grow we can offer more services to patients including new products, video calls and serve more patients through online clinics. In order for this to be successful, patient awareness of these services is key.”