The Status Quo and Challenges of Community Collaborative Pharmacies and Specialized Medical Institution Cooperating Pharmacies in Chiba Prefecture

Abstract

 The aim of this study is to examine the status quo of Community Collaborative Pharmacy (CCP) and Specialized Medical Institution Cooperating Pharmacy (SMICP) certification utilizing the pharmacy function information from pharmacies in Chiba Prefecture, leading to the identification of the current challenges of CCP certification for uncertified pharmacies. This study included 96 pharmacies (2021), 146 pharmacies (2022) as CCPs and 4 pharmacies (2021), 6 pharmacies (2022) as SMICPs. As uncertified pharmacies, all 2,497 in 2019 and 2,430 pharmacies in 2022 (excluding CCP and SMICP) were included. While 83.6％ of CCPs shared information with medical institutions at other times unrelated to admission or discharge, the rates at admission and discharge were only 27.4％ and 25.3％, respectively (2022). 56.2％ of CCPs have the necessary infrastructure for sterile dispensing, but only 11.6％ dispensed sterile drugs (2022). Among uncertified pharmacies, the lowest achievement rate was observed for having the necessary infrastructure for dispensing sterile products, being only 6.4％ (2019) and 7.7％ (2022). Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors related to CCP certification. Implementation of sharing information about medication adherence with medical institutions (p＝0.008), having the necessary infrastructure for dispensing sterile products (p＜0.001), and 3 other items showed statistically significant differences between uncertified pharmacies and CCPs (p＜0.05). To improve information sharing, it is necessary to collaborate closely with medical institutions with an inpatient department. Considering sterile dispensing, it is essential for pharmacies to have the necessary infrastructure and to inform patients and other medical professionals that they possess such functions.