Abstract
The revision of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act in December 2019 obliges pharmacists to follow-up patients continuously throughout medication use. The purpose of this study was to analyze the trend of medication follow-up based on data from patients who received anticancer drug medication follow-up at the Gifu Pharmaceutical University Pharmacy. This retrospective study used electronic medication records and medication information provision forms to examine age, sex, cancer type, anticancer drugs or regimens administered, duration of anticancer therapy, type and severity of adverse events, details of pharmacist guidance, and information provided to healthcare institutions. Of the 86 medication follow-ups, 66 (76.7%) revealed adverse events. This included patients who were on their first course of treatment or later as well as those who had received hormonal agents, suggesting the need for extensive medication follow-up. In addition, there were two cases in which medication follow-up led to unscheduled doctor visits or the discontinuation of anticancer drugs. Implementation of medication follow-up facilitated early detection and intervention if adverse events due to anticancer agents occurred. In conclusion, community pharmacist-led medication follow-up contributed to continuous treatment with anticancer drugs in an outpatient setting.
