INTRODUCTION

Pharmacies are ubiquitous yet critical establishments which are often the first points of
access to medicines. However, in India, the density of pharmacies is higher in urban areas
than that in rural areas. Urban India has seen a transition from a traditional extended family
to a nuclear family structure which has isolated the elderly and reduced their access to
medicines; while, people living in remote villages are required to travel to nearby towns to
access healthcare services. In addition, another major factor which directly impacts the
access to medicines is the inability of the retail pharmacy to store a wide range of products,
forcing the consumers to visit multiple stores for procuring all the specified medicines.
Chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc. require patients to regularly use
medications for the remainder of their lives. However, with limited access to medicines,
the patient compliance levels get affected. Lack of access to continuing treatment is not
only associated with poor health outcomes and/or premature death, but also impacts the
economic growth of the country.
Technology, especially the Internet, adds immense value by improving accessibility of
healthcare services even to the most remote regions of the country. With the help of
technology, healthcare is likely to undergo a revolution and will upgrade to a stage where
the consumer would be informed and empowered. E-Pharmacy is one of the technology
advancements that is about to create a huge demand in the upcoming days. In today’s world,
when most of the products and services are conveniently being delivered to the consumers’
doorstep, there is a huge demand for access models that help patients and consumers avail
the convenience of medicine delivery without having to leave their homes. With the use of
technology and access to inventory of multiple stores at a time, e-Pharmacies can aggregate
supplies, making otherwise-hard-to-find medicines available to consumers across the
country. This will significantly help patients who are old and sick and not in a condition to
go out to find a pharmacy as well as the rural population where there is limited presence of
retail pharmacy.
The practice of pharmacy involves the general implementation of medical orders which
entails the evaluation and the interpretation of the medical orders, the administration of
drugs, dispensation of prescribed drugs from qualified medical practitioners, the review of
prescribed drug regimen, and the correct storage of drugs (CPP, 2009). The American
Pharmacists Association has described pharmacy as having a mission which is the
responsibility of ensuring the use of medication in the right way and manner, and enjoying
the services of drugs to ensure the achievement of optimized results in therapeutic
applications (CPP, 2009). In addition, the birth of modern pharmacy has brought with it
some positive effects in the society; like the increase in life expectancy globally from 45
years to 50 years, which some argue is as a result of the number of breakthroughs recorded
in pharmacy over the last century. These breakthroughs such as: the discovery of new
compounds in battling existing ailments and the invention of methods and devices to
accurately dispense drugs have been welcomed with open arms by the society. (Federation
Internationale Pharmaceutique, 2012). More so, the hospital pharmacy is usually located in
hospitals (government-owned or private) and provides in-house pharmaceutical care to
patients. Hospital pharmacists are those that function within a hospital pharmacy system
and are tasked with the dispensing of prescriptions, the purchase of medicines, and the
testing of these medicines (World Health Organization, 1994). In the hospital pharmacy,
access to medical records make it easy to influence the selection of drugs based on allergies
or previous problems encountered. Subsequently, the power to control the process of going
into the acquisition of drugs and other pharmaceutical devices, help in ensuring the supply
of premium quality drugs. Furthermore, Hospital pharmacies which are owned by the
government have little or no problems with financing projects due to backing from the
government. Also, the community pharmacies may not have the permission to dispense
certain drugs which may be due to the nature of such drugs and the prices of drugs are not
as subsidized as those in hospital pharmacies.
The proposed system aims to connect and serve as an intermediary between hospital
pharmacies and drug manufacturers, through a platform that allows the order of drugs with
the click of a button, and simultaneously keeps track of what drugs have been ordered and
in what quantity. Also, allows the patients with pathology tests to the nearest Pathology
labs and reports will be available on the internet.
 PROJECT PLAN
2.1 Feasibility Study

A feasibility analysis involves a detailed assessment of the need, value and practicality of
a proposed enterprise, such as systems development. The process of designing and
implementing record keeping systems has significant accountability and resource
implications for an organization. Feasibility analysis will help you make informed and
transparent decisions at crucial points during the developmental process to determine
whether it is operationally, economically and technically realistic to proceed with a
particular course of action.

Most feasibility studies are distinguished for both users and analysts. First, the study often
presupposes that when the feasibility document is being prepared, the analyst is in a
position to evaluate solutions. Second, most studies tend to overlook the confusion inherent
in system development – the constraints and the assumed attitudes.

2.1.1 Operational feasibility

People are inherently resistant to change, and computers have been known to facilitate
change. An estimate should be made of how strong a reaction the user staff is likely to have
toward the development of a computerized system. It is common knowledge that computer
installations have something to do with turnover, transfers, retraining, and changes in
employee job status. Therefore, it is understood that the introduction of a candidate system
requires special effort to educate, sell and train the staff on new ways of conducting
business.

2.1.2 Technical feasibility

Technical feasibility centers around the existing computer system (hardware, software, etc.)
and to what extend it can support the proposed addition. For example, if the current
computer is operating at 80 percent capacity – an arbitrary ceiling – then running another
application could overload the system or require additional hardware. This involves
financial considerations to accommodate technical enhancements. If the budget is a serious
constraint, then the project is judged not feasible.

2.1.3 Cost/ Benefit analysis

Economic analysis is the most frequently used method for evaluating the effectiveness of a
candidate system. More commonly known as cost benefit analysis, the procedure is to
determine the benefits and savings that are expected from a candidate system and compare
them with costs. If benefits overweigh costs, then the decision is made to design and
implement the system. Otherwise, further justification or alterations in the proposed system
will have to be made if it is to have a chance of being approved. This is an ongoing effort
that improves in accuracy at each phase in the system life cycle.

Costs:

 Cost of new computer approximately Rs. 22,000/-

 Cost of operating system and other softwares approximately Rs. 5000/-
Benefits:
 Avoids tedious typing task
 Faster document retrieval
 Saving storage space
 Keeps data secure
 Easy to use, update and maintain

With the help of technology, healthcare is expected to be massively altered and transformed to a
system where the consumer would be informed and empowered. This shift could be brought about
by an e-Healthcare model, which is built around solving problems of the consumer in the most
optimized manner, where the consumer would have the power of knowledge and demand better
service, a transparent system which would be free of middlemen causing distortions, and price /
quality mismatch. At the same time, an online model, operating across the country, to procure
healthcare services will ensure organized tracking and recording of the data for audit trails, thus
making the healthcare system more structured.
One of the technology innovations which have positioned itself as an attractive model in the online
healthcare space is e-Pharmacy and this model is expected to create a huge demand in the future.
 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Dispensing
and
Distribution

Marketplace-
based Model of
e-Commerce

Dispensing Distribution
Dispensing means interpretation, Distribution means the delivery of a drug
evaluation, supply, and implementation of or device other than by administering or
a prescription, drug order, including the dispensing.
preparation and delivery of a drug or device
to a patient or patient’s agent in a suitable
container appropriately labeled for
subsequent administration to, or use by, a
patient.
 Figure 3.1- Dispensing and Distribution

Prescription Electronic Record Digital Signature

A written or electronic Data, record or data generated, Authentication of any
direction from a Registered image or sound stored, electronic record by a
Medical Practitioner or other received or sent in an subscriber by means of an
properly licensed practitioners electronic form or micro film electronic method or
such as a Dentist, a or computer generated micro procedure in accordance with
Veterinarian, etc. to a fiche “intermediary” with the provisions of section 3
Pharmacist to compound and respect to any particular “Digital Signature Certificate”
dispense a specific type and electronic message means any means a Digital Signature
quantity of preparation or person who on behalf of Certificate issued under
prefabricated drug to a patient. another person receives, stores subsection (4) of section 35.
or transmits that message or
provides any service with
respect to that message.
 Figure 3.2- Prescription, Electronic Record and Digital Signature

Inventory-based Model of e-Commerce: Inventory-based model of e-Commerce means

an activity where the inventory of goods and services is owned by the e-Commerce entity
and is sold to customers directly.

Figure 3.3- Inventory-based Model of e-Commerce

Marketplace-based Model of e-Commerce: Marketplace-based model of e-Commerce

means providing of an information technology platform by an e-Commerce entity on a
digital and electronic network to act as a facilitator between a buyer and a seller.
 Figure 3.4- Marketplace-based Model of e-Commerce

One of the technology innovations which have positioned itself as an attractive model in
the online healthcare space is e-Pharmacy and this model is expected to create a huge
demand in the future.

Pathology Clinic: Through pharmacy url user will logging in using valid credentials, in
pathology portal select the tests and give valid details, checks for the availability of timings,
inform to the user, if confirmed by the user an order id will generate and asked for the
payment and after payment the confirmation with date and time will be send to the user,
the user will go to the pathology and the test will be done verifying the details and user will
be informed by mailing and also will be available in pharmacy portal and user can access
by logging.

Figure 3.5- Pathology Clinic

 SYSTEM ANLYSIS

4.1 Existing System

The customer goes to the shop and purchases the medicine required. So a lot of time is
wasted and the person gets tired. If he wants to exchange the product, once again he goes
to the shop and replaces them. The complete process depends on the physical interactions.

4.2 Proposed System

4.2.1 Medicine

The Online Pharmacy is easy to use and order. The customer selects the required medicines
and orders them by a single click. Before it, the customer needs to create a login account
and fill all the details like name, address, any id no…Etc. The client can able to view the
status of the medicines. The business goal for the application is to provide the medicines to
all the people & admin will provide the supplier details.

4.2.2 Pathology Clinic

Clients can book online pathology tests through online to its nearby pathology laboratory.
That’ll be based on real-time availability of date and timings by prior appointment.

4.2.3 Chat with doctor

Some of the patient-related factors contributing to poor medication adherence include

suboptimal health literacy, limited access to care, high medication costs, long waiting times
at the healthcare set up or pharmacy, lack of family or social support etc.
The urban India has seen a transition from a traditional extended family structure to a
nuclear family structure which has isolated the elderly and reduced their access to
medicines; while, people living in remote villages are required to travel to nearby towns to
access the healthcare services, thereby affecting patient compliance.
Thus, accessibility, affordability and lack of awareness are the major challenges for last
mile access to medicines. These barriers could be effectively overcome by adopting
technology, specifically the Internet, into the healthcare system by direct chat with doctors.

4.2.4 User rating

User can give ratings to the medicines they bought on the basis of quality, effectiveness,
price, packaging etc.
4.2.5 Order Tracking

Order tracking will allow you identify the most effective shipping service. Filter shipments
by date, status, couriers and destinations, ensuring your customer’s orders are delivered on
time, always.

Analyze shipping providers

With all shipment details available in real-time, easily identify shipping performance of
each provider and stick to the ones that offer quick and safe delivery for every order that
you process using Order tracking.

Better Serve with your Customers

Order tracking System helps customers to estimate delivery time which ultimately leads to
better transparency. Real-time shipment status will allow you to respond to customers’
queries quickly.

Billing Features
Multi-Rate, Price List & Discount Cash/ Credit / Split Invoice & Challan Sales Return $
Replacement on Sale Bill Party Wise Rate, Discount and Scheme Salesman / Route / Area
Wise Bills & Reports.

Purchase Features
Display Last 4 Deals at the Time of Purchase to Cross Check Rate Deal, Disc Tax & Cost
Purchase Planning & Purchase Order Management Supplier Wise Various Outstanding
Reports & Remainder.

Discount & Schemes

Items Wise Double Percentages Discounts Party Wise Discounts & Schemes Pre-Fixing
Data Wise Schemes, Quality Based Rate & Discounts Various type of Schemes, Like A
Item Free with B Item Etc.

Fully User-Configurable Invoicing

Vat Invoicing Tax (Tax / Retail) Tax Inclusive, Exclusive & MRP Billing Multiple-taxes
in Single Invoice Manufacturing / Trading Excise Invoice Export Invoice & Packaging Slip
Option for Pre-printed Stationery Designable.
 APPLICATION DESIGN

5.1 Pharmacy mobile application

This application is used on phones and tablets and runs on the android and iOS platforms
on these devices. The mobile application is used for prescription management and offers
discount to users of the application. The application has proven helpful in drug prescription
management as it offers a number of features. It allows its users to manage what
prescription drugs they need to take and when they need to take them. The application has
proven to be helpful to the older folk who are more vulnerable to diseases due to aging.
The users may forget what time they need to take their prescription or the dosage to take,
but the application notifies them and prevents missed dosages.
The advantages are as follows:
1. It is easy to download as the file is light is size
2. It helps users to know when to take their drugs
The limitations are as follows:
1. It lets the user order drugs which may promote addiction
2. Although the interface is fluid and fast, it may not be simple enough for users
3. The application has many bugs, such as unexpected application failure that need to be
fixed, to fully optimize its use.
4. It does not show drug composition, which allows users know if there are side effects in
using medicine.

Figure 5.1- Design Process

5.2 Use case diagram

Figure 5.2.1- Use-Case diagram of Customers, Manufactures and Administrator

Figure 5.2.2- Use-Case diagram of Customers, Manufactures and Administrator

Pharmacy Retail Store:

 The licensed pharmacists of the store to check for the validity of the prescriptions;
failing which the medicines would not be dispensed.
  The medicines should be dispensed from a licensed premise in a sealed tamper proof
pack to the patient or patient’s relative (Patient’s agent).

 There should be proper invoice with batch number of the medicines dispensed,
expiry date, name and address of the pharmacy with signature of the registered
pharmacist/(s)

 The pharmacy store to be operated under the oversight of the Drugs and Cosmetics
Act & Rules and need to comply with all the requirements of the act, as it does for
its normal business.

 The Government of India has set up approximately 250,000 common services

centers (CSC) across the country which plays a pivotal role in delivering various
e-health services, like telemedicine, e-Diagnostics, e-Pharmacy, especially to the
rural population.

 The e-Pharmacy model could also be effectively aligned to CSC’s goal of

improving delivery of essential health services in rural India by improving access,
ensuring efficacy, transparency and reliability of the services at an affordable cost.

An e-Pharmacy model would help with better purchasing margins, better inventory
management, increased reach, reduced prices and greater provision of value-added
services to the consumers.

Consumers:
A significant proportion of the population is willing to try purchasing medicine and
related products over the internet considering the advantages it has and additional value it
creates compared to the existing physical retail outlets. Survey reveals that lower prices,
discounts, convenience in ordering and home delivery with preferred time and address are
some of the major advantages that will prompt consumers to shift towards e-pharmacy.
Physicians:
There is a positive perception regarding e-pharmacy among medical practitioners as almost
90 percent of respondents perceive it as an acceptable means of sale and purchase of
pharmaceutical products. The easy access and convenience factors associated with e-
Pharmacies happens to be the major determinants for attracting more and more consumers
in the view of medical practitioners as mentioned by 85 percent and 75 percent of the
respondents respectively.
5.3 Sequence Diagram

Figure5.3.1- Sequence Diagram

5.4 Activity Diagram

Figure5.4.1- Activity Diagram

5.5 Database Design

Figure5.5.1- Class Diagram

 Description of Pharmacy Management System Database:
 The details of Pharmacy is store into the Pharmacy tables respective with all tables.
 Each entity (Sells, Stocks, Inventory, Medicines, and Pharmacy) contains primary
key and unique keys.
 The entity Stocks, Inventory has bended with Pharmacy, Medicines entities with
foreign key.
 There is one-to-one and one-to-many relationships available between Inventory,
Company, Sells, and Pharmacy.
 All the entities Pharmacy, Inventory, Stocks, and Sells are normalized and reduce
duplicity of records.
 We have implemented indexing on each tables of Pharmacy Management System
tables for fast query execution.

Figure5.5.1- Entity-Relationship Diagram

 Pharmacy Management System entities and their attributes:
 Pharmacy Entity : Attributes of Pharmacy are pharmacy_id,
pharmacy_medicine_id pharmacy_name, pharmacy_type, pharmacy_description,
pharmacy_address
 Medicines Entity : Attributes of Medicines are medicine_id, medicine_name,
medicine_company, medicine_composition, medicine_cost, medicine_type,
medicine_dose, medicine_description
 Stocks Entity : Attributes of Stocks are stock_id, stock_items, stock_number,
stock_type, stock_description
 Company Entity : Attributes of Company are company_id, company_name,
comapny_type, company_description, company_address
 Inventory Entity : Attributes of Inventory are inventory_id, inventory_items,
inventory_number, inventory_type, inventory_description
 Sells Entity : Attributes of Sells are sell_id, sell_name, sell_type, sell_description

5.6 Workflow of application

Figure5.6.1- e-Pharmacy Model to Dispense Prescription Medicines (DATA FLOW

DIAGRAM)
 Figure5.6.2- Data Flow diagram of Pathology

5.6.1 An e-Pharmacy model is required to have two operating

components for dispensing prescription medicines:
Technology:
 Web-based and/or mobile-based application for consumers to upload the scanned
copy of their prescriptions and place requests for medicines.

 Every order that is received to be verified and checked by a team of registered

pharmacists.

 The registered pharmacists to forward the validated prescriptions to the pharmacy

store from where the medicines are dispensed.
  The web or mobile-based platform to be governed under the IT Act 2000 and only
act as a platform to facilitate connection between consumer and pharmacy store.

Pharmacy Retail Store:

 The licensed pharmacists of the store to check for the validity of the prescriptions,
failing which the medicines would not be dispensed.

 The medicines should be dispensed from a licensed premise in a sealed tamper-

proof pack to the patient or patient’s relative (patient’s agent).

 There should be proper invoice with batch number of the medicines dispensed,
expiry date, name and address of the pharmacy with signature of the registered
pharmacist/(s).

 The pharmacy store to be operated under the oversight of the Drugs and Cosmetics
Act & Rules and need to comply with all the requirements of the act, as it does for
its normal business.

5.6.2 Making the e-Pharmacy model fool-proof

Some of the implementations for due-diligence of the e-Pharmacy model and making it
fool-proof include:
 A separate license and registry of e-Pharmacy players should be created.
 Dispensation of drugs to be undertaken through the physical pharmacy, duly
licensed under Part VI of the Drug Rules.
 The dispensation of scheduled drugs should be against a valid prescription from a
Registered Medical Practitioner (“Prescription Drugs”) and must be undertaken by,
or under the direction and personal supervision, of a registered pharmacist.
 The e-Pharmacy would be permitted to process the order for prescription drugs only
after obtaining (i) the original prescription; (ii) a scanned copy of such original
prescription.
 Audit trail (including the address and name of the patient) should be digitally stored
to prevent abuse and ensure tracking in case there is any adverse event to a
medicine.
 Narcotic medicines (like morphine) and other habit-forming drugs (like sleeping
pills) should be restricted to be sold through an e-Pharmacy model.
  Suitable arrangements must be made to ensure that the medicines are packed,
transported, and delivered in such a way that their integrity, quality, and
effectiveness are preserved.
 The website / mobile application must clearly provide information regarding the
logo, license number, and contact details of pharmacists for addressing patients’
queries and grievances.

5.6.3 Tracking of delivery product

The stages an order passes through-

1. Open. The order is still being written, and can be changed as necessary.
2. Hold for confirm. The order is finished by requires customer
intervention or confirmation before processing.
3. Confirmed. The order is written and confirmed, and is awaiting
processing.
4. Processing. The back office has begun invoicing & fulfilling the order.
The order may be enrooted.
5. Complete. The order has been shipped and delivered to the customer.

Working

Bar Code Generation: As a first step, as soon as a product is handed over by the online
seller to their courier company for delivery, a barcode is generated for the same and
attached to it. A barcode is a unique ID that has all the details related to the parcel, like,
pick up and destination details, buyer’s contact details, etc.
Scan Bar Code Details: As the next step, when the item is loaded for the delivery, its bar
code is scanned by the courier company and that data is stored in the tracking system of
that courier company’s website.
Storing the Scanned Data: As soon as the barcode is scanned, all the information related
to the courier is stored in the tracking system, like, the time it left the courier agency (at
seller’s location) for delivery, where it came from, where it is destined to, etc.
Receiving the Product: After leaving the courier agency at the seller’s location, the
shipped item reaches to another branch of the courier agency at the buyer’s location.
Re-scanning the Bar Code: As soon as the new courier agency receives the product, it
scans the barcode and stores the parcel details in the tracking system, which includes
information related to its received time.
Out for Delivery: At this location of the courier company, the received item is scanned
again when it is ready to be sent out for delivery. The scanned information is stored again
in the tracking system, which includes the time the products left that courier agency for
delivery.
Product Delivery: Once the product is delivered to the end user or buyer, the tracking
system is updated with the delivery status of item (for example, ‘Delivered’ in this case),
delivery time, recipient’s name, etc.

5.6.4 Ratings and reviews

Users can give ratings on:

 Overall Experience. What was Users’ overall experience?

 Effectiveness. Did your Users feel about medicine’s effectiveness or pathology
condition?
 Accuracy. How accurately did your medicines represented your site?
 Value. Did your Users feel the product provided good value for the price?
 Communication. How well did authority or pathologist communicate with your
Users before and during their delivery?
 Arrival. How smoothly did their package go?
 Condition. How did Users feel about the condition of product?

Overall ratings are calculated as the average of all the ratings your listing has
received.

For example, if you have 5 x 5-star reviews and 4 x 2-star reviews the average rating
is calculated as:

(No. of reviews x rating) + (no. of reviews x rating) + ... / total no. of reviews
((5 x 5) + (4 x 2)) / (5 + 4)
(25 + 8) / 9 = 3.67 (2 decimal places)

 Overall ratings are updated every time a review is published.

 SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION

In computer science, implementation is specifically categorized as the realization of a

technical specification or algorithm as a program, software component through computer
programming and deployment. The system runs on a number of languages and tools which
make it fully responsive and dynamic. These include:
1. PHP: It serves as the server-side scripting tool on this application.
PHP allows the web application to be responsive and dynamic. What this means is that the
server hosting the content can respond to user requests in different manners.
2. JavaScript: This is the client-side scripting tool on this web application. JavaScript can
be used either as a server-side scripting tool or a client-side scripting tool. It promotes
interactivity with the users and makes the web application more dynamic.
3. HTML: This stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It is a web standard for achieving
text, color etc. for the web application.
4. CSS: This creates a fluid design for the web application. It works hand in hand with
HTML to create a user-friendly design on the web application.
5. MySQL: It is a relational database system that is designed to work with multiple systems.
This tool is used to manage information in the database of both small and large systems.
The system has PHP as its base which works hand in hand with the other languages and
tools to bring a dynamic experience to the Online Pharmaceutical Management System.
Due to the fact that the system runs online, the use of PHP and JavaScript were vital so as
to improve interactivity with the users of the system. Also, HTML and CSS help to fully
encapsulate the dynamisms and interactivity of a standard web-based system. On the
system, all the products are stored in various tables in the database, for clear distinctive
purposes. What the user sees is the Graphical User Interface (GUI) which allows easy
access to products and services. The GUI of the system is as a result of all the tools and
languages, both at the server-side and client-side, coming together to form a cohesive unit.
All the user has to do is to provide correct login details, which is verified by the database,
to access all products.
There is also an administrative dashboard which allows only the administrator to add or
remove users. This feature was introduced to check for any intruders or unauthorized
personnel in the system, who may want to order drugs illegally.
This system may be likened to other established web-based applications such as Amazon
and E-bay which allows its users to buy products using a cart system such as the one
implemented on the Online Pharmaceutical Management System.
Also, with the use of the programming languages and tools mentioned above, the system is
fully adaptable to all devices available today.

6.1 Software and Hardware Requirements

6.1.1 Software Requirements

 Operating System: Windows 7 or above

 Front End Languages: HTML, CSS, Javascript, Jquery, AJAX

 Frame work: Codeigniter, Bootstrap

 Back End Language (DB): PHP, MYSQL

 1. JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheet tools for the web page components of
the application

 2. PHP as a server-side scripting language to compute records and

information.

 3. MySQL for database management, and AJAX to bring web application

features to the system.

6.1.2 Hardware Requirements

 Processor: Intel Core I3 or above

 Ram: 4 GB or above

 Memory: 500GB or above

 Working Internet connection (>2mbps)

6.2 System Testing

System Testing can be done at two stages namely:-

1. Unit Testing: the system is tested in modules before integration is done. This is
important as faults are discovered before the systems complexity increases through system
integration.
2. System Testing: the system is tested for conformity with requirements after all modules
have been put together and the system as a whole is tested to authenticate that general
system requirements have been met.
In the development of the System, various criterions were used as testing yardsticks of the
system. These yardsticks include Graphic User Interface, usability testing, database and
exception handling.

Graphical user interface testing

The Graphical User Interface (GUI) testing involves testing the systems graphic
components to ensure that it covers the entire domain i.e. the complete functionality of the
system, with respect to the different modules. For example, in the testing of the System,
both customer service and administrator modules were tested to ensure that they all
contained links and tables that directly links to their requirements as designed with use
cases in the preceding section. There also comes a stage of sequencing testing with GUI
testing. This ensures that domains of requirements have an efficient follow up order, that
is, users are less likely going to be confused or going to find it difficult to navigate around
the system in search of how to perform some sort of operation. For example, how the user
can view details of a product and the manufacturer of the product.

Figure6.2.1- Home page

Usability testing
This essentially focuses on testing systems user-friendliness. It involves testing a web
application to find out directly how users communicate with the system. The test cases
were developed to have been realistic enough.
For example, a few random persons can come to the site and view all the products,
contact the administrators for registration, login to their account after a successful
registration, contact the manufacturer. The test case was successful because the users
reported ease of use of the system.

Figure6.2.2- Login and Registration page

Figure6.2.3- Medicine Reminders

Figure6.2.4- Medicine Refills

Exception handling testing
Exception Handling Testing was conducted on the System to assure that the system remains
viable even on the occurrence of errors as a result of anomalous or exceptional events being
triggered. Various exceptions were discovered and corrected through the use of underlying
JavaScript and PHP scripts. If else statements, try and catch statements in these scripts
provided methods to control user actions and indirectly maintaining ordinance in the system
by handling unexpected errors.

Figure6.2.5- Admin Login Panel

Database testing
Database used in the System contains a data dictionary of varying data types. These data
types represent the forms of data which the data of the system can take. The data dictionary
must be tested to confirm that it has been properly used to implement the system database
through the Database Management System (DBMS). The database must also be tested to
make sure that the system satisfies the ACID properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation,
and Durability) of a DBMS. Database testing was conducted on the Customer Complaints
Report System with its data dictionary at hand so as to ensure that the insert, delete and
update operations are as consistent as possible to avoid the possibility of occurrence of
database crash as volume of data generated increases. Improper table relations were
discovered and were removed such as the manufacturer’s address – pharmacy address
relation, and manufacturer’s tax payments – pharmacy’s payment options relation.
 Figure6.2.6-System Database Tables

Figure6.2.7- Pharmacy information Table

Figure6.2.8- Medicine information Table

 Figure6.2.9- User information Table

Figure6.2.10- User information Table

Figure6.2.11- Lab test information Table

Results/findings
The Online Pharmaceutical Management System in its design aimed to limit individual
personal usage. Being that the application is designed for pharmacies as a whole, as
opposed to being tailored for individual use, the issue of abuse of drugs has already been
diminished with the use of the application. Furthermore, only authorized personnel on the
application are able to make the order of drugs from the drug manufacturers. All
transactions made are stored in the system to allow record keeping. Findings made from
this work show that the awareness and sensitization to the availability (conceptual or
otherwise) of online pharmaceutical applications is minimal. Also, the use of these
available applications (as discussed in the closely related works section) is also minimal.
The administrator’s dashboard allows only the administrator add users on the system. All
data are submitted to the administrator, along with all the relevant authentic documents.
This feature prevents unauthorized users from ordering the drugs available, and also
controls the accounts available.
 Recommendation and Limitation

7.1 Recommendations
In view of the challenges associated with Online Pharmaceutical Systems, the researcher
makes the following recommendations:
1. All the stakeholders must be computer literate and own a smartphone because the system
is hosted online.
2. Awareness of the Online Pharmaceutical System should be made to sensitize people
about the significance of the system.
3. The various regulatory bodies of the Pharmaceutical Industry should incorporate the use
of the system into their regulations.
4. Benchmark research must be carried out by researchers to evaluate the performance of
the system.

7.2 Limitations
A number of limitations were encountered in the course of preparing this research work.
One of such was in the creation of the tables in the database of the system. Due to the size
of the system, many tables had to be created to accommodate all the data required in the
management system. Also, implementing security features on the system proved to be a
challenge as the application is yet to be tested on a national/regional level.
 Conclusion and Future Enhancement

8.1 Future research

Due to the findings from carrying out this research on Online Pharmaceutical Management
System, some points to consider in its implementation in the future include:
1. A platform capable of use at a regional/national level.
2. Strict security measures put in place to prevent an abuse of the application in
general.

8.2 Conclusion
With the help of technology, healthcare is expected to be massively altered and transformed
to a system where the consumer would be informed and empowered. This shift could be
brought about by an e-Healthcare model, which is built around solving problems of the
consumer in the most optimized manner, where the consumer would have the power of
knowledge and demand better service, a transparent system which would be free of
middlemen causing distortions, and price / quality mismatch. At the same time, an online
model, operating across the country, to procure healthcare services will ensure organized
tracking and recording of the data for audit trails, thus making the healthcare system more
structured.
One of the technology innovations which have positioned itself as an attractive model in
the online healthcare space is e-Pharmacy and this model is expected to create a huge
demand in the future.

Potential of E-Pharmacy in India

The global e-Pharmacy market, led by North America and Europe, was approximately
US$ 29.3 billion in 2014 and has been estimated to grow at a CAGR of 17.7% to reach a
valuation of US$ 128 billion by 2023. However, e-Pharmacy is at its nascent stage in
India, but like other categories, it has the potential to be a very large industry segment in
the near future.
Factors driving the demand for e-Pharmacy in India include rising number of people with
unmet medical needs due to large population and increasing penetration of internet in both
urban and rural India. With the rapidly changing consumer behavior in India, there is a
huge demand for accessing a wide range of products at the click of a button, and at
competitive prices. It is expected that the e-Pharmacy model could account for 5-15% of
the total pharma sales in India, largely by enhancing adherence and access to the medicines
for a lot of under-served population.

E-Pharmacy add value to the healthcare system in India

E-Pharmacy improves consumer convenience and access. This will most importantly
benefit chronic elderly patients living in nuclear families, and patients who are not in a
condition to go out to find a pharmacy. E-Pharmacy also offers competitive pricing which
thereby enables less affluent people to afford medicines. There are a lot of technology
advancements that are coming up in the form of applications which help in bringing price
transparency, create awareness, find an appropriate healthcare service provider, medicine
reminders, and pregnancy alerts to the consumers.
In addition, e-Pharmacy models are well aligned to address key known issues in pharmacy
retail for tracking authenticity, traceability of medicine, abuse prevention, addressing
consumption of drugs without prescription, tax loss and value added services for consumer
empowerment in healthcare, which are all key areas of national development. This model
also increases entrepreneurship and in turn accelerates wealth creation in the country.

Against the fake drug

This research work dealt with Online Pharmaceutical Management Systems. It is eminent
that the system provides a safe, secure and verified platform for all parties which help to
bridge the communication gap and provide legitimate drugs. Because drugs are harmful
when abused or misused by individuals or organizations, security checks have been added
to the design logic. Therefore, if all recommendations are strictly adhered to, there will be
strict monitoring and regulation of how drugs are circulated and a decrease in the spread of
fake drugs.
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