From the need of a new infomation tool for the simple and accurate understanding of drug usage by patients, we developed an on-line system that printed information sheets on drug usage with color illustrations based on the physician's instructions, and gave the documents to the patients. In this system, documents with color illustrations explaining how to use drugs could be registered for each drug which is difficult to be used or for each patient. This has made it possible to provide accurate information on drugs not only to patients who have difficulty in understanding prescription data given by doctors but also to those who have difficulty in understanding oral explanation of the regimen. Also, the authors distributed draft explanatory documents prepared in advance to doctors and nurses asking for their opinions about them to avoid discrepancy between the explanation on the clinical scene and the contents of the documents. From a questionnaire survey completed by 74 patients before starting this system, the documents with color illustrations, explaining about the side effect and usage of inhalation, suppository and eye drops, obtained a good response in terms of understanding and reconfirmation. After starting the system, 68 patients prescribed for colon examinations (colonoscopy and barium enema) also replied that the documents are recognizable. These results suggest that this system is useful to prevent incorrect usage of drugs and is helpful for drug use evaluation.
