Reasons That Lead People to End Up Buying Fake Medicines on the Internet: Qualitative Interview Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Many people in the United Kingdom are turning to the internet to obtain prescription-only medicines (POMs). This introduces substantial concerns for patient safety, particularly owing to the risk of buying fake medicines. To help reduce the risks to patient safety, it is important to understand why people buy POMs on the web in the first place.

Objective

This study aimed to identify why people in the United Kingdom purchase medicines, specifically POMs, from the internet, and their perceptions of risks posed by the availability of fake medicines on the web.

Methods

Semistructured interviews were conducted with adults from the United Kingdom who had previously purchased medicines on the web. Purposive sampling was adopted using various methods to achieve div

SUBMITTER: Almomani H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9982721 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature