We conducted surveys on the opinions of patients, doctors and nurses regarding bungyo (separation of dispensing and prescribing drugs) before and after the establishment of a system of dispensing prescription drugs for outpatients. While only 25% of the patients surveyed before the establishment of the system gave a favorable opinion regarding the bungyo, about 40% of those surveyed after the establishment of the system gave a favorable opinion. On the other hand, there were no differences in the opinions of either doctors or nurses regarding bungyo in a survey conducted before and after the establishment of the system. The criterion for choosing a pharmacy by outpatients was not only convenience of location but also the quality of service offered. Although 66% of the doctors surveyed before the establishment of the system expressed concern about possible differences between their explanations to patients and those given at community pharmacies, this percentage decreased to 35% after the establishment of the system. The quality of pharmaceutical care for inpatients by pharmacists after the establishment of this system was highly evaluated by both doctors and nurses, but the evaluation of the duties of pharmacists related to the injection check system was low. The survey results indicate the need for hospital pharmacists to make further efforts to improve the quality of pharmaceutical care for inpatients.
