Abstract
Healthcare professionals are required to recognize the onset of adverse drug reactions in patients, and make attempts to prevent them in advance. Here, we conducted a study to test the hypothesis that active use of a questionnaire titled “Adverse Drug Reaction Signal Check Sheet” makes it easier for pharmacists to collect information on symptoms experienced by patients. The questionnaire classifies subjective symptoms into eight items. We surveyed patients on high-risk medication from 93 pharmacies that cooperated with the study. First, we implemented a questionnaire that involved a pharmacist listening to complaints of patients with subjective symptoms during routine medication instruction (Survey ①). Next, the presence or absence of subjective symptoms was checked using the “Adverse Drug Reaction Signal Check Sheet” during routine medication instruction by comparison with the contents of the previously completed questionnaire (Survey ②). In addition, we conducted a post-facto questionnaire on pharmacies that cooperated with the survey (Survey ③). Statistical analysis was conducted using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. 51 pharmacies responded to Surveys ① and ②. (Response rate: 54.8%) 92 pharmacies responded to Survey ③. There were 18 cases of subjective symptoms reported by 17 consulting patients in Survey ①. There were 238 cases of subjective symptoms reported by 169 consulting patients in Survey ②. The number of cases of subjective symptoms detected between Survey ① and Survey ② was aggregated for each pharmacy and compared, and a statistically significant difference was observed (p<0.001). The results suggested that presentation of the “Adverse Drug Reaction Signal Check Sheet” provided an opportunity for patients to consult pharmacists about subjective symptoms. Although subjective symptoms are thought to include symptoms due to underlying diseases and indefinite complaints that are not adverse drug reactions from medications, it is necessary to be aware of the medical history of the patient, including the presence or absence of symptoms before the patient is aware of them to identify changes in a patient’s physical condition before and after medication.
