The present situation of the alteration of dosage forms in dispensing of oral drug products for inpatients at the hospital was studied. The alterations of dosage forms involved are as follows: tablets and capsules intended for constitution as powders; tablets, powders and capsules as liquids; tablets and powders as capsules. The total number of the oral drug products prescribed for 3 months was 41, 926, including 667 for alterations. The alterations consisted of 69 % for grinding of tablets for constitution as powders, 23% for dissolution of powders as liquids, 4.9% for opening of capsules as powders, and 1.8% for capsule-filling of powders. Fifty-seven percent of the alterations were made for securing a substitute route for oral administration of tablets and capsules in patients treated by the administration through tubes terminating in the stomach.
On the basis of the results of this study, several problems caused by the alteration were discussed, such as loss in weight of tablets on sieving after grinding, method of preparation of liquid products from tablets or powders for the patients administered through the tube, and changes in bioavailability of drugs by the alteration.