Pharmacists’ Perceptions Regarding e-pharmacies in the Aftermath of CoViD-19 Pandemic

The CoViD-19 has altered service delivery and posed chal­lenges to e-commerce while also facilitated the online phar­macies presence. Online pharmacies improve the consumer healthcare experience by affording convenience, efficiency, greater confidentiality, and improved access to medicines. The objective of this study is to examine the perceptions of physical store pharmacists towards online pharmacies and whether their perspectives have changed due to the CoViD-19 pandemic. A cross sectional study took place during the second trimester of 2022. Data were collected via a struc­tured anonymous questionnaire with closed-ended ques­tions, encompassing demographic information and pharma­cists' perspectives on online pharmacies. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient yielded a value of 0. 70. Non-parametric sta­tistical tests were applied to explore relations between demographic characteristics and pharmacists' views regard­ing online pharmacies. Correlation between categorical and ordinal data was assessed with Spearman's correlation coef­ficient. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the effect of demographics and their perceptions on their intention to create an online pharmacy. The statistical significance threshold was set at 0.05.The study sample consisted of 129 pharmacists, 71 women (55%) and 58 men (45%). The majority of pharmacists exhibit a strong affinity for technology. While all respondents recognize the benefits of online pharmacies, several remain neutral or hesitant about establishing such ventures. Looking ahead, a significant proportion of pharmacists who currently operate only physical pharmacies express positive attitudes towards creating an online pharmacy. The findings clearly indicate that, the onset of the CoViD-19 pandemic prompted a significant proportion of them to consider implementing an online pharmacy in a positive light. Pharmacists are expected to make decisions to keep up with technological progress and consider the online image of their pharmacies. As a result, they can benefit from all the advantages offered by online pharmacies while allowing consumers to choose their preferred method of purchase.