E-prescriptions: new trends in pharmacy services

Around four million people use a pharmacy every day and it is common for pharmacists to develop a good knowledge of their patients’ medical history. Increasingly, this process is becoming formalised via technology.

One recent change was that pharmacy clients should automatically have a record kept of medicine they take, as well as certain medical devices delivered, such as prostheses and implants, called a dossier pharmaceutique. The aim is to ensure more coordination between health professionals and to limit the risk of redundant treatments and unsafe interactions. 

Any pharmacist can add to the records, which can also be consulted by doctors who treat you or blood test laboratories. You have the right to refuse to have such a dossier held about you, to ask a pharmacist not to add certain medicines and to refuse to allow your file to be consulted.

You can also ask a pharmacist to close the file at any time. Information about medications will be kept for 12 months (three years for sophisticated ‘biopharmaceutical’ products) and 21 years for vaccines. It is intended that at some point it will be possible to consult your information from this dossier via your Mon espace santé online space.

Various other new developments are changing the way pharmacies work.

E-prescriptions 

Electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions) are gradually becoming the norm although paper prescriptions are still used. This means the information has been entered by the doctor into their computer and sent to a database – and can be retrieved by the pharmacist by scanning a barcode on it, assuming they have the latest equipment and up-to-date software. 

In The Connexion’s experience, this is the main difference for the patient as of 2024 – some have a barcode, some do not. Paper prescriptions may be stopped altogether at a later stage but this does not appear planned for the time being. 

E-prescriptions should also automatically appear in a patient’s Mon espace santé online health notes, although it is worth checking with the prescriber that they will make sure it is added. Whether or not a prescription is in this format, there is nothing stopping patients scanning a paper prescription and adding it to their online account, from where pharmacists and other medical professionals can access it. 

Many pharmacies also accept scanned prescriptions emailed in. This gives the pharmacy the chance to prepare the medicines and, if necessary, order items in. Health professionals are being told to order and install software updates, if needed, to ensure they are up to date.

More pharmacies offer home delivery 

Along with the trend for more pharmacies to offer an online ordering service, home delivery is becoming common. Two-thirds of pharmacies d’officine offered this during Covid lockdowns and demand has continued. 

There are also various intermediaries that offer to pick up your medicines. La Poste is among them, with its Mes Médicaments Chez Moi service. This works by registering at the site mesmedicamentschezmoi.com. 

The patient chooses a local pharmacy on the website and then can either upload a scan of the prescription and their carte Vitale, or have their postal worker call to collect a paper prescription and their card. The medicines are then delivered (and card returned, if relevant), again, either by the postman/woman or if you prefer, a courier service. Express delivery in under two hours is available in some cities. 

A number of start-ups have begun offering similar services, often with quicker delivery times. Pharmao claims to offer 24/7 deliveries, particularly in Paris, where a number of pharmacies are open overnight. The app works by scanning your prescription. Livmed offers delivery within 30 minutes. Other competing platforms include Mymediks and Phacil. T

o guarantee patient confidentiality, healthcare data is encrypted end-to-end and stocked with licensed web hosts. The medicines themselves are prepared by the pharmacist and delivered in opaque sealed bags, says Nicolas Schweitzer, co-founder of Pharmao.

More health cabins 

More pharmacies now offer telemedicine cabins, where patients can be connected to a doctor. This can be especially useful in areas where the nearest GP practice may be some distance away.

New powers to renew prescriptions Some pharmacists can now renew prescriptions for those with ongoing requirements for medicines for chronic conditions, instead of the patient having to make a GP appointment. As part of the new rules, people can designate a regular pharmacist as their pharmacien correspondant who will be in contact with their regular médecin traitant. 

The pharmacist can give regular renewals of long-term prescriptions for people with chronic illnesses such as asthma, hypertension and diabetes. The aim is partly to simplify things for these patients as well as to free up GP appointments. GPs will be informed of all prescriptions renewed and any changes in dosage that have been made. Doctors have to specifically write on prescriptions that this process is allowed.

American-style drugstores 

With the rise of online pharmacies, it is becoming increasingly difficult for some smaller pharmacies to remain competitive. One trend has emerged where pharmacies d’officine have started to merge with parapharmacies and to offer a larger range of products. This is not specific to small areas; in fact, the largest pharmacy operating in Europe today opened in 2020 in the Cap 3000 shopping centre near Nice airport. 

It covers a ‘sales’ surface of 2,500m² (and 3,500m² in total), with 10 different so-called universes, such as well-being, hygiene and baby products – as well as the classic pharmacy section with 24 counters and 50,000 drugs. Its staff includes 46 ‘experts’, who can offer advice, 20 pharmacists, five naturopaths and a herbalist and the products include everything from paracetamol to huile de requin (shark oil). 

Such pharmacies resemble more closely the model of American drugstores than the traditional pharmacies d’officine, and, although smaller in scale, may become increasingly popular in many areas. 

At Cap 3000, clients can also open their own online account where they can order products, either for collection or for home delivery in the nearby area, and there is a service whereby they can renew a repeat prescription on their smartphone.