There is no report to date regarding the usage status of medications with driving with prohibitions or cautions in Japan. Upon sampling the national health insurance claims database (covering 1% of outpatients), we surveyed the prescriptions and use of medications in outpatient settings for patients aged 25 years and older, with the goal of encouraging the proper use of medications.
We analyzed the ratio of outpatients who were administered medications with prohibitions or cautions on driving to total outpatients who were administered medications (prescribed and/or provided to them at the time of examination). We also examined daily dosages and deviations from specified dose-limits for their prescribed oral medications.
Of 566,968 outpatients aged 25 years and older who were administered medications, 413,940 (73%) outpatients were given the medications with cautions or prohibitions on driving and 243,405 (43%) outpatients were administered the medications with a prohibition on driving.
Daily dosages of many medications were reduced with the increase in age of the patient. The degree of dosage reduction varied widely, with some medications whose dosages were hardly adjusted with age. With some medications with dose-limitations or contraindications for the elderly, prescriptions were found with dosages that often exceeded the recommended limits.
We conclude that outpatients given medications and/or prescriptions must exercise appropriate caution when driving and that the dosage of these medications should be adjusted especially in the elderly.
