[2026 Preparedness for Drug Shortages] Over 40% Use Home Medication Delivery to Avoid Secondary Trips to Pharmacies

'Patient-Perspective Clinic' (Location: 1-16-17 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo) provides telemedicine services from the first consultation, 365 days a year, including Sundays and holidays. To clarify the status of the increasingly common 'home medication delivery' service, the clinic conducted a survey on 511 men and women aged 20-60 nationwide who have utilized their telemedicine services.

[What is Home Medication Delivery?] This service allows patients to have medication delivered to their homes without needing to travel to a pharmacy or wait in a waiting room. If medication is prescribed, the prescription is sent to a partner pharmacy, and after medication guidance via video call, the medication is delivered to the home mailbox. Combined with 'telemedicine,' which allows consultations from home or work, the entire process from consultation to receiving medication can be completed online.

[Survey Results] 1. Over 40% choose home delivery. When asked about medication pickup methods, 57.3% chose pharmacy pickup, while 42.7% chose home delivery. By age group, those in their 50s had the highest utilization rate for home delivery.

2. The biggest benefit is 'time savings.' Those who choose home delivery cited 'no waiting time' (75.8%) and 'time-saving due to mailbox drop-off' (62.8%) as primary reasons. Secondary benefits included 'no concern about secondary infections' (24.8%) and 'not worrying about others' eyes' (14.2%).

[Physician Commentary] It is important to select the method appropriately based on symptoms, urgency, and lifestyle. While pharmacy pickup is suitable for immediate needs like sudden fever, home delivery is highly effective for chronic conditions or regular medication.