Table 4.

Facilitators of purchasing prescription medicines on the internet.

Theme	Code
Medicine shortages	Medicines shortages, which might be caused by a halt in production, increased demand, lack of alternatives, or political events (eg, Brexit)
Pandemic disease (COVID-19)	Panic buying of medicines due to the fear of medicines running out of stock or being in shortage On the internet availability of COVID-19 cures (fake cures) for people desperate for treatment for COVID-19 Spread of misinformation related to COVID-19 Overburdened health care services
Social media	Facilitate communication between buyers and sellers
Search engines	Facilitate marketing of web-based sellers of medicines and thus help people find those sellers
Accessibility	People can purchase prescription medicines without the need for prescriptions
Low risk perception	Unawareness about the risks associated with purchasing medicine on the internet