記憶障がい患者に対する服薬支援のあり方と新たなお薬手帳の提案

抄録

Patients with cognitive dysfunction caused by dysmnesia face difficulties in memorizing and learning general concepts; therefore, they encounter trouble in taking medications. Recently, a prescription notebook has been shown to be useful for patients receiving pharmacotherapy; however, it is not yet clear whether a common prescription notebook is useful for patients with a memory disorder. In our study, using a questionnaire for 61 patients, we first determined the benefits of and improvement in the drug administration guidance provided by a pharmacist to patients with a memory disorder compared with those undergoing medical examination by a doctor. Although 35-74% of patients could not communicate with a pharmacist or doctor, most found it easier to communicate with a pharmacist than with a doctor. Moreover, we investigated whether a common prescription notebook and our designed notebook, called the personal notebook, were useful to patients with a memory disorder. Although 89% of patients with a memory disorder use a common prescription notebook, 41% of them answered that they found it difficult to use. On the other hand, 66% of the patients with a memory disorder answered that they wished to use the personal notebook. Remarkably, all patients within 5 years of onset of a memory disorder wished to use this notebook. These findings indicate that it is useful for patients within 5 years of onset of a memory disorder to use the personal notebook. We propose a method to improve the use of a prescription notebook for patients with a memory disorder through this survey.