Community pharmacists’ perspectives on E-pharmacy: an imminent threat or an opportunity in disguise?

Back to news list

Source: Frontiers Medicine

Original: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2026.1757921...

Published: 2026-03-03T00:00:00Z

The study assessed 305 licensed community pharmacists' views of e-pharmacy as a potential threat or opportunity through a cross-sectional questionnaire between June and September 2024. E-pharmacy has improved access and affordability of medications, increased efficiency and reduced errors, but limits pharmacist-patient interactions, raising concerns about adherence and quality of care. Significant associations were found between demographic variables and perceptions of e-pharmacy, analyzed by chi-square test and Spearman's correlation (p < 0.05). Pharmacists over 50 showed more concern about electronic prescribing (75.0%, χ² = 10.85, p = 0.012, V = 0.19). Younger pharmacists (20–30 years old) had more positive attitudes than those over 50 years old (χ² = 12.14, p = 0.007, V = 0.20). Pharmacists in chain pharmacies had more favorable attitudes (62.7%) than in private ones (59.5%, χ² = 8.24, p = 0.016, V = 0.16). Findings from the Aseer region provide exploratory insights for e-pharmacy regulation and integration, policy makers should work with pharmacists to preserve their role in patient care.