Use of a patient-centered medical questionnaire in the treatment of Japanese cedar pollinosis

Abstract

In recent years, several investigations into patient satisfaction regarding the treatment for Japanese cedar pollinosis have been reported. Making use of a questionnaire which allows patients to choose from two options of antihistamines has led to an improvement in patient satisfaction, thus suggesting that patients desire more detailed information about prescribed drugs. We developed a patient-centered medical questionnaire which leads patients through a self-assessment of their pollinosis and self-choice regarding drugs, and attempted to use it with Japanese cedar pollinosis patients in 2011. Using the questionnaire-guided self-assessment, approximately 55% of the patients were prescribed drugs according to the guidelines, 41.2% of the patients understood the severity classification described in the guidelines and 35.3% of them understood that prescription drugs are selected depending on the severity of symptoms. Among the participants, 64.7% answered that it is good to choose drugs for treatment by themselves; on the other hand, 23.5% of the patients preferred that drugs be selected by the physician. Patients who participated in the questionnaire-guided self-assessment reported a satisfaction rate of 100%, thereby indicating that using a patient-centered medical questionnaire to treat pollinosis can improve patient satisfaction, which may in turn improve adherence.