Online Pharmacies: Why the Future of Drugs Will be Online
Do you buy your medical drugs from an online store or a physical shop? The chances are you buy them from an online shop because this is the future of pharmacies.
These remote, ivory-tower-like institutions are not immune to the digital health revolution. With big players like Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos weighing in on healthcare things look set to change.
They play a crucial role in the healing process. But the impression pharmacists have of themselves is that they are just drugstores.
The fast development of technology in the medical field influences every aspect of medicine, health care.
Here’s everything you need to know about the future of pharmacies.
21st Century Patients
As the patients of the 21st century evolve, the future of pharmacies and pharmacists will also evolve in the age of digital health. New technologies that empower patients.
They have greater powers to strengthen their health support the democratization of care and shift the hierarchical doctor-patient relationship to a partnership level.
With the medical and technological revolution, the traditional clear role will become a thing of the past. Doctors prescribe the drug with appropriate instructions. However, pharmacists provide the drug for money. In short, there will be no clear issue.
They need to redefine their place in medicine. Modern society has transformed its profession into a medical store, but pharmacists have so much more to offer. Simple drug donors are not enough in a common, community-based economy.
Pharmacists must go through a rigorous education process. It’s comparable to that of doctors, and they are in a better position to spend more time on patients.
More Face-to-Face Time
Community pharmacies provide valuable access for healthcare professionals. They can offer the bonus of being able to use more face-to-face time. A recent JAMA study showed that patients are more likely to visit community pharmacies than their GPs.
The evolution of the role of the online pharmacy in the digital health age can take several paths.
Pharmacists and drugstores are adapting to the digital health age. Several aspects of the internet pharmacy and refill prescription environment are changing.
With new approaches and letting go of old approaches, the pharmacy of the future is packed with different looks and different roles. Pharmaceutical industry leaders recognize the need for change and share the same view.
Mediwitch: Lessons From the Past
A mediwitch is known for treating her patients with medicines from medieval. This includes herbal teas, suitable for minority communities.
A tech guru knows how to decrypt the data from health trackers and wearables. They can provide the necessary care based on this data. They can also offer a true scientific expert who knows the basics of the latest developments in pharmaceuticals.
A mediwitch and a tech guru will be useful in rural, remote, and small communities with less access to pharmacies. The past and the future can come together.
Health Kiosks
The increasing adoption of medical kiosks offering pharmaceutical services is the most likely scenario.
These are called stalls in shopping malls and food courts, where patients can stand for a basic health check. They can also talk to a doctor by telecommunication.
Despite promising offers, such ventures have proved unsuccessful. One such telemedicine kiosk start-up, HealthSpot, went bankrupt in 2015 after raising $40 million to establish a joint venture with a Cleveland clinic.
The reasons for the failure were manifold, from the costs associated with the construction and delivery of the kiosks to the necessity of pre-arranged deadlines.
Health Spot
HealthSpot wasn’t for everyone, but healthcare demand and technology have evolved beyond physical kiosks. They now offer so much more to our smartphones.
Whether it’s tracking suspicious skin changes or detecting Alzheimer’s disease. Or perhaps measuring vital signs such as temperature and oxygen saturation, smartphones are the true Swiss knife of digital health.
Other companies are also following the path of the medical kiosk. They have pharmaceutical offers to expand access to care.
Onmed’s first station began operations in Tampa, Florida, in October 2019, and another will be operational soon after.
Health kiosks offer telemedical visits and remote diagnosis and have automated dispensers for common medicines such as antibiotics and antihistamines. Compared to HealthSpot, these kiosks are HIPAA compliant and do not require human staff to deliver medications.
Online Health Advisors 24/7
Sharing important medical information is perceived as costly. Standing in line to turn up, be prescribed by a doctor, take the safe drugs online and pay the bill. The commercial aspect of the pharmacy is also widespread.
But this could change. The pharmacists themselves do not have time to spare you. If you can get advice from doctors and specialist pharmacists 24/7, then you no longer need to talk with your pharmacists at the store. They can focus on what they do best, preparing the drugs.
There are many technological and organizational timetables that will make this possible. Therefore this is the most likely scenario in the short term. Pharmacists will be able to offer primary care. As well as health management consultations to patients with problems. In this way, pharmacies will rise to the same level as primary care.
Grassroots Approach
One of the most important factors in this development is a grassroots approach to health care. This includes ensuring that healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, provide proactive patient care in places that are convenient for patients.
With Intouch Health and its telemedicine network, patients in remote areas of the U.S can get emergency consultations. This treats stroke and cardiovascular disease. When the actual presence of pharmacists is not possible, telemedicine can fill this void.
The Future of Pharmacies Looks Bright
Digital health tools can be entire departments worth diagnostic tools that fit in a briefcase. As a result, care is timelier and allows patients to be treated quickly; the future of pharmacies looks bright.
From a more localized grassroots approach to improving the efficiency of pharmacies, there is so much to look forward to.
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