2024 Volume 25 Issue 4 Pages 204-210
Objective: Owing to the increase in the rate of outpatient prescriptions each year, community pharmacists are expected to actively participate in the drug treatment of patients. Currently, tracing reports (TRs) are used as a tool to feedback patient information obtained at community pharmacies to medical institutions. However, it is reported that about 30% of community pharmacists have never used TRs. It has been reported that the use of templates can increase the use of TRs. Community pharmacists need to understand cancer chemotherapy regimens as outpatient cancer chemotherapy is increasing. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of using hospital websites as one method of obtaining TR templates and cancer chemotherapy regimens.
Methods: 348 hospital websites in Osaka Prefecture were visited between June 26 and August 28, 2022 to investigate the TR template and cancer chemotherapy regimen.
Results: Among hospitals in Osaka Prefecture investigated in this study, 16.2% posted tracing reports and 24.0% posted cancer chemotherapy regimens. By the bed functions, both tracing report postings and cancer chemotherapy regimen postings decreased in the order of decreasing acuity. By secondary medical area, although there were regional differences, both tracing reports and cancer chemotherapy regimens were posted in all medical areas.
Conclusions: This study allowed many of the surveyed hospitals to access their websites, and found the current status of patient information sharing tools between community pharmacies and hospitals on hospital websites. The percentage of hospitals where these tools are posted is low. However, there are hospitals in all regions that have these tools posted, and it is utility to use hospital websites as a way for community pharmacists to obtain these tools.
