Abstract
BackgroundSince the WHO announced that Covid-19 had become a global pandemic, online pharmacies have emerged as an extremely popular way to purchase medication due to the quarantine measures introduced by numerous countries to prevent the virus's spread.AimThe aim of this study was to collect information regarding the extent of online medication purchasing in the UAE and to assess the factors that motivating the purchase of medications from the internet.MethodA convenience sampling of people living in the UAE was used to conduct an online descriptive cross-sectional study. Respondents were solicited using the social media platforms WhatsApp and Facebook, whereby they were asked to fill in a validated web-based questionnaire. The number of people buying medications from online pharmacies was calculated using a percentage with 95% CIs.Results131 respondents (31.2%) [95% CI: 26.7–35.6] stated that they purchased medication via the internet after Covid-19 was classed as a pandemic. It was found that those respondents most likely to have purchased medication via the internet were male, single, and older and with a high school education.ConclusionMore research should be conducted to investigate and compare the self-medication and associated risk factors between online pharmacies and community pharmacies. Moreover, regulatory bodies need to make and implement changes to the regulations that govern the sale and use of medications during COVID-19.
Highlights
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, online pharmacies (OPs) have become a serious public health concern as they have expanded and become more controversial
131 respondents (31.2%) [95% CI: 26.7–35.6] stated that they purchased medication via the internet after Covid-19 was classed as a pandemic
An additional complication is the fact that the power of national regulatory bodies generally ceases at their countries’ borders [14, 15]. This leads to considerable confusion regarding OPs, as the owners of websites selling health services and medication frequently shift their theoretical base between national jurisdictions
Summary
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, online pharmacies (OPs) have become a serious public health concern as they have expanded and become more controversial. An additional complication is the fact that the power of national regulatory bodies generally ceases at their countries’ borders [14, 15] This leads to considerable confusion regarding OPs, as the owners of websites selling health services and medication frequently shift their theoretical base between national jurisdictions. This means that research must be done into the home country of an OP and the country from which the purchases are delivered [13]. Since the WHO announced that Covid-19 had become a global pandemic, online pharmacies have emerged as an extremely popular way to purchase medication due to the quarantine measures introduced by numerous countries to prevent the virus’s spread
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