Rational Use of Medicine and Its Practice V; Effects of the Consultation on the Use of Ophthalmic Solutions and an Evaluation of the Consultation Method

Abstract

We studied the effect of advising outpatients on the rational use of ophthalmic solutions and compliance by a questionnaire (n=158), in order to establish the optimal consultation method. A total of 41.8% of the patients answered the questionnaire. In compairing the actual use of ophthalmic solutions before and after consultation, the rates of rational use increased for all items except for “applications per day”, which decreased slightly from 93.4% before the consultation to 90.2% after that. In particular, “eyelid closure” and “nasolacrimal occlusion” after instillation, and “the 5 min interval of instillation in the case of plural medication”, considerably increased from 34.8% before the consultation to 60.6% after that, from 9.5% to 50.8% and from 45.9% to 73.8%, respectively. The compliance remarkably improved in glaucoma patients after consultation regarding “the 5min interval of instillation” .
Based on these results, our consultation method for the rational use on ophthalmic solutions was thus evaluated. However, since some patients who still did not appreciate the need for the rational use of such medication still presented, further improvements in the consultation method requires for the rational use.