Technology has revolutionized communication and trade, making it easier for people to connect and access goods and services, including healthcare. Access to mobile telecommunication, internet services, and online platforms empowers people to leverage these technologies to effectively communicate and trade. Modern communication such as; the use of phone calls, Short Message Service (SMS), websites, and social media offer safer, faster, and more convenient means to connect. Perhaps not surprisingly, patients are increasingly turning to these channels for health information and services (1).
While the trend towards remote healthcare was growing pre-pandemic, COVID-19 accelerated its adoption. Movement restrictions, curfews, and limitations on physical contact necessitated the adoption of contactless solutions to facilitate access to essential services like healthcare as well as to curtail the spread of COVID-19. This led to a surge in patients seeking medical services remotely, prompting medical systems to adapt. Today, patients can obtain various medical services without needing physical interaction with the practitioner. Notably, the remote provision of pharmaceutical products and services saw a significant rise, as physical contact isn't always crucial for these transactions.
Several retail pharmacies have adopted or expanded the remote provision of pharmaceutical products and services to stay afloat amidst a declining number of walk-in customers (2, 3). The move to provide pharmaceutical services and products remotely makes business sense, as well as limiting the spread of infectious diseases.
However, this rapid increase in these practices hasn’t allowed for parallel development guidelines and regulatory systems to ensure the maintenance of professional dispensing of pharmaceuticals and the rational use of medicines. In Uganda, the National Drug Authority (NDA), lacks specific regulations for the remote provision of pharmaceutical products and services. Existing guidelines that were designed for physical interaction between care providers and the patients, neglect the significant differences between physical and remote good dispensing practices and their implications for rational medicine use and, patient safety.
Physical interaction allows prudent pharmaceutical care providers to offer thorough service compared to remote service provision. Providers can authenticate the accuracy and appropriateness of prescriptions before dispensing, patients with common illnesses requiring over-the-counter (OTC) medicines can be appropriately managed, and appropriate patient education and response to concerns can easily be instituted (4). Such opportunities to ensure rational medicines can be missed by the remote provision of pharmaceutical services. Sun et al., (2021) noted that the online sale of antibiotics without prescriptions increases public access to these medicines which is an additional challenge for antimicrobial Stewardship (5). While remote practices offer advantages, they have the potential to expose medicines to irrational use if not well-regulated.
Despite the continued existence of remote provision of pharmaceutical products and services post-COVID-19, little is known about how it is being implemented in retail pharmacies in Uganda. Understanding the extent of this practice, the safeguards implemented (if any), restrictions on dispensed products, its share of pharmacy business, and the challenges faced by pharmacies is crucial for designing an effective regulatory framework to streamline practices and ensure rational medicines use. This study aimed to assess the practices and challenges of remote provision of pharmaceutical products and services by retail pharmacies in Kampala.