During the period November 2003 to April 2004,we conducted a survey of patients visiting Niigata Pharmacy with regard to their awareness of previous adverse effects due to medicines they had received at other pharmacies.Eight-hundredsixty-three patients had experienced adverse effects,12.0% of the total of 7,178 patients surveyed.In all,there had been 1,027 cases of adverse effects and 998 (97.2%) of them were based only on patients’memory.For approximately 50% of these cases,the adverse effects were due to medicines,the common ones central nervous system drugs and antibiotics.Approximately 93% of the patients could answer questions regarding the symptoms of the adverse effects,with many saying that they were dermatological and alimentary canal manifestations.
We have been noting the adverse effects reported in patients’drug history documents,and if necessary,have been enquiring about the prescriptions involved.Working in a health insurance pharmacy,it is very important for us to conduct good safety management for the drugs we dispense and in the future,we must teach patients to how they can participate in the safety management of the drugs they take.
