Blog: Canadians are open to a digital pharmacy

What happens after you submit your survey responses? Where do your answers go? How is your opinion used? We want to answer these questions by sharing past examples of how your responses and opinions have made an impact.

A recent Maru poll found that half of Canadians (49%) are open to filling their prescriptions online through a digital pharmacy, while 25% said they would be extremely unlikely to consider it. Of the people surveyed, only 45% find filling a prescription in-store at a pharmacy reliable and 45% of respondents find this convenient. The problem may lie with the relationship that Canadians have with their pharmacist. Only 18% feel that their pharmacist is aware of their medical history and 45% said they have no relationship with their pharmacist. This sentiment was highest among people in the 35-49 age group (51%) and geographically, it was highest in people living in B.C. (59%). It’s no wonder; when asked about other forms of contact respondents had with their pharmacists besides visiting in person, 63% said they telephoned about their prescriptions and 24% said they had no other contact. Of those who had no contact with pharmacists beside in-person visits, 32% live in B.C., while 17% live in Quebec.

Only 55% of respondents are aware that pharmacists may prescribe refills for certain medications, while 45% are not. Regarding where they have prescriptions filled, 77% prefer to go to the same pharmacy for all their prescriptions, 10% prefer to go to the same pharmacy chain, 2% prefer to go to the pharmacy closest to their doctor’s office, and 11% have no preference for where they fill their prescriptions. Regarding the top five factors that impacted their decision in choosing a pharmacy, the following were the top answers:

• Location (convenient to work or home) 40%
• Affordable prices 28%
• Insurance plan accepted 25%
• Insurance claim is automatically processed by the pharmacist 23%
• Knowledgeable staff/pharmacist 20%

It looks like pharmacists need to create stronger bonds with patients to prevent losing them to online pharmaceutical services.

Are you open to using an online pharmacy?

You can see the full poll results here.

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Maru Voice Canada is one of the country’s leading online market research panels. We send you surveys, you complete them, we give you rewards, and you make a difference. For each survey you complete, you earn entries into monthly sweepstakes programs and points that can be redeemed for gift cards from a variety of popular online retailers. We then share your responses with organizations ranging from household brands, government bodies, not-for-profits, and the media who want to better understand the opinions of Canadians. Have your voice heard by joining the Maru Voice Canada community today.

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