Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Infodemiology
Date Submitted: Oct 31, 2025
Date Accepted: Jun 22, 2026
Safety Risk Measurement of Online Drug Sales: An Empirical Study Based on Complex Network Theory
ABSTRACT
Background:
With the rapid development of pharmaceutical e-commerce, online drug sales have brought new safety risks while providing convenient services to the public. These risks pose challenges to public health security and regulatory systems.
Objective:
This study aims to quantitatively measure the safety risks of online drug sales.
Methods:
Taking the safety risks of online drug sales as the research object, violation cases of online drug sales were collected from government websites. A complex network model for online drug sales safety risks was established based on complex network theory. Combined with complex network characteristic indicators, the TOPSIS method was employed to identify key risk factors in online drug sales safety.
Results:
A total of 458 violation cases were collected. Based on complex network theory, a complex network model for online drug sales safety risks was established, consisting of 116 nodes and 152 edges. Network topological properties were explored through parameters such as average path length, diameter, degree, and degree distribution. The TOPSIS method results showed that the key risk nodes in the complex network model for online drug sales safety risks are the failure to strictly perform prescription review and dispensing duties, consumers failing to provide prescriptions, failure to issue prescriptions through internet hospitals, failure to establish drug procurement and acceptance records, and failure to establish drug sales records.
Conclusions:
Based on the risk measurement results, targeted risk prevention and control measures should be formulated for key risks such as failure to strictly perform prescription review and dispensing duties and consumers failing to provide prescriptions. This aims to maintain the order of the online drug sales market and enhance the overall safety level of online drug sales.
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Copyright
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