title: Chat-based telepharmacy in Denmark: design and early results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Following the introduction of a nationwide online telepharmacy chat-service in Denmark in the spring of 2012, offering free counselling to all Danish citizens, we aimed to investigate the types of enquiries that are made to the telepharmacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We extracted 500 consecutive chat transcripts and categorised them in four categories: drug-related, symptom, technical and other. These categories were further divided into 28 prespecified subcategories. After the categorisation of the 500 transcripts, 7 new subcategories were added and the material was reanalysed. For drug-related enquiries, the drug in question was registered according to the anatomical-therapeutic-chemical system developed by World Health Organization. Veterinary and empty (nonresponding) enquiries were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred seventy-six eligible enquiries were identified and categorised. The enquiries were found to be diverse: 170 enquiries (35.7%) were drug-related, 124 (26.1%) were technical in nature, 91 (19.1%) were related to symptoms and 91 (19.1%) of the enquiries were categorised as other. The most common drug class was 'drugs related to the genitourinary system and sex hormones'. Only 50 (10.5%) of the enquiries happened in connection with an actual purchase at the online pharmacy. Of all enquiries, 28.6% led to a referral to a medical doctor. Of the customers, 89.2% were satisfied with the online counselling.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diverse enquiries require professional chat operators with broad experience. Some subjects are overrepresented when compared with regular pharmacy counselling and should receive special attention. Continued monitoring is considered essential.
authors.affiliation: Copenhagen Sønderbro Pharmacy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Line
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Helle
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jacobsgaard
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salmasi
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pottegård
mesh_terms: D003718:Denmark; D006801:Humans; D060946:Pharmaceutical Services, Online / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016730:Program Development; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Internet < delivery of care; Internet pharmacy < E-health; community pharmacy < community pharmacy; pharmaceutical care < medicines management