Independent pharmacists should embrace the rapid advances being made in health technology and use it to grow their business, said John Pignone, sales director at Alliance Healthcare. New technology will continue to have an impact across the sector, whether in the growth of internet pharmacies or the implementation of the Falsified Medicines Directive, he said.

“Online prescriptions are worth £40 million and growing fast, online clinics have disrupted the market for embarrassing conditions, and the number of m-health users of health apps and wearable technology is expected to rise to 96 million by 2018 from 15 million in 2013/14.”

Research has revealed that 60 per cent of patients would monitor their own long-term condition using an app and 90 per cent would use the internet to ask a clinician a question. Britons want digital health, Pignone believed, and pharmacists should exploit its potential.

He pointed to Alphega’s pharmacy mole scanning service as an example of where technology can be applied to develop an innovative clinical service. It uses imaging technology to scan moles or pigmented lesions for skin cancers. The scans are sent to a consultant dermatologist for analysis via telemedicine and patients contacted directly with an assessment and counselled on the appropriate action to take.

Pharmacy must use the opportunities presented by these technological advances to evolve their businesses as consumer needs change, Pignone said. “Independents should work together under a united front
to create greater efficiencies in community pharmacy, make their services more effective and change how they do things to enhance the patient experience.”