Nearly three quarters of pharmacy patients are happy to receive an electronic prescription, despite only a small number having had one, a survey by management consultants Sempora Consulting has suggested.

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There was a high level of "consumer acceptance" of electronic prescribing, with 74 per cent of 1,040 UK pharmacy users stating they would be happy to have their prescription dispensed electronically, an increase of 7 percentage points since 2012. A further 16 per cent said they "may be" comfortable with their prescriptions in this form.

But only 12 per cent of participants in the consumer survey had received a prescription through the electronic prescription service (EPS), Sempora Consulting said when it published the findings last week (May 21).

Three quarters of 1,040 UK pharmacy users said they would be happy to have their prescription dispensed electronically, up 7 percentage points on 2012	More on the EPS EPS could be 'Trojan horse' for pharmacists' access to patient records Video: Are pharmacists benefiting from the electronic prescription service? Lack of collaboration undermining EPS's potential, report claims
	Three quarters of pharmacy customers said they would prefer to have their electronic prescription dispensed by an independent pharmacy or chain, compared with 5 per cent who would choose an online pharmacy.

These figures showed that "internet players still have a long way to go" to convince consumers they were the right place to receive electronic prescriptions, Sempora Consulting said.

Sempora director Francis Prosser said the internet was "still a huge proposition" for pharmacies planning to dispense electronic prescriptions.

"We believe the UK pharmacy market still has massive potential for online development. The continued growth in importance of this channel should not be underestimated by retailers and manufacturers alike," he said.

Mr Prosser said there was a "strong role" for independent pharmacies in the UK market. Thirty per cent of shoppers felt local independent pharmacies offered better customer service and consultations than chain pharmacies, while only 38 per cent agreed chains offered better prices, he added.

The number of pharmacy customers who shopped online in the past year had risen to 27 per cent, compared to 13 per cent in 2012, Sempora Consulting said. Ninety three per cent of online shoppers said they would continue to buy products from a bricks-and-mortar pharmacy.

Convenience was the most common reason given for shopping online, followed by price and then home delivery, it said.

The "dramatic increase" in the number of pharmacy users turning to online shopping was starting to slow, the consulting company said. Twenty seven per cent of internet pharmacy shoppers said they would purchase more products online next year, compared to 36 per cent in 2012, it added.

Earlier this month, Alliance Boots said EPS was "increasingly attractive" as a way to dispense repeat prescriptions. The growing number of doctors using the service accounted for around 9 per cent of its UK dispensing volume over the last year.

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