Consumer perceptions of direct-to-consumer electronic prescription services in Queensland, Australia

Background: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) electronic prescription services (EPS) are a novel addition to the Australian healthcare landscape. This study aimed to explore consumers’ perceptions on how this model of care supports the delivery of best-practice care. Method: Focus groups participants were recruited through social media and included adults aged 18 years or older, Queensland (Australia) residents, and interested in DTC EPS. Focus groups were conducted via Zoom^® and repeated until data saturation. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken to elicit consumer perception themes from focus group discussions and field notes. Results: Three focus groups were conducted between July and August 2022 and included 13 participants of which two (15%) had previously used DTC EPS. Four major perception themes were induced: (a) Consumer responsibility. There is an assumed level of consumer health literacy leading to an unacceptable burden of responsibility on the patient; (b) System processes appear to be underdeveloped to support best-practice care; (c) Access to convenient and timely healthcare will be improved for many patients, however, out of pocket expenses may promote inequity; and (d) Service model improvements can address safety and quality concerns including integration of the model within existing national digital health platforms. Conclusion: Participants believed that DTC EPS was a valuable addition to the Australian health care landscape increasing convenient and timely access to medicines for consumers. Participants were concerned that a heavy reliance on health literacy and underdeveloped system processes may lead to unsafe prescribing.