title: Pharmacy customers' experiences with the national online service for viewing electronic prescriptions in Finland.
abstract: To investigate (1) Finnish pharmacy customers' familiarity with My Kanta, the national online service for viewing electronic prescriptions (ePrescriptions), (2) how commonly My Kanta is used, (3) who the typical users are, and (4) users' experiences of the usability of My Kanta.
  
  
  
  A survey was conducted among pharmacy customers (aged ≥18) purchasing medicines for themselves. Questionnaires (N=2915) were distributed from 18 community pharmacies across Finland in autumn 2015. The data obtained was stored in SPSS for Windows and subjected to descriptive analysis, chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  
  In total, 1288 respondents were included (response rate 44%). Most (62%) of the customers were familiar with My Kanta. The majority of them (78%) were using it to view their ePrescriptions. My Kanta was perceived as clear, easy to use and to provide a good overall picture of the prescribed medications. Familiarity with My Kanta was associated with a higher education than basic school, regular use of prescription medicines, and sufficient information received about ePrescriptions. Men used My Kanta more often than women. Respondents aged 75 or older were less likely to be familiar with and to use the service compared to 18-34year olds.
  
  
  
  Most of the Finnish pharmacy customers were familiar with the national online service, My Kanta, for viewing ePrescriptions. Service users perceived it as easy to use and beneficial in managing their overall medication. Customers under 75, those educated beyond basic school, those using prescription medicines regularly, and those who had obtained sufficient information about ePrescriptions were most likely to be familiar with My Kanta. Men and customers under 75 were the typical users of the service. Some customers, however, were unaware of the service, or unable or reluctant to use it.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy/Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kuopio Campus, University of Eastern Finland, P.O.B. 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland. Electronic address: elina.lamsa@uef.fi.
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lämsä
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy/Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kuopio Campus, University of Eastern Finland, P.O.B. 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland. Electronic address: johanna.timonen@uef.fi.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Timonen
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kuopio Campus, University of Eastern Finland, P.O.B. 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland; Primary Health Care Unit, Hospital District of Northern Savo, P.O.B. 100, 70029, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland. Electronic address: pekka.mantyselka@uef.fi.
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mäntyselkä
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy/Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kuopio Campus, University of Eastern Finland, P.O.B. 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland. Electronic address: riitta.ahonen@uef.fi.
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahonen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000592:standards*; D055695:Electronic Prescribing; D004582:Electronics, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000592:standards*; D054539:Medication Therapy Management; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Electronic prescription; Patient access to records; Pharmacy customer; Survey