We conducted a qualitative study about the various causes behind negative emotions experienced by the patients with chronic diseases when interacting with the pharmacists. The purpose was to identify the factors responsible for negative emotions, and improve the interactive communication between the pharmacists and the patients with chronic diseases.

We interviewed six male and six female patients with chronic disease who have experienced negative feelings while interacting with the pharmacists at pharmacies.

The grounded theory approach was used for analysis, and the two factors were identified as “patient’s personal thoughts and feelings” and “pharmacist reception”.

We identified 26 concepts under the “patient’s personal thoughts and feelings” factor and their broader concepts comprised of ten categories, such as: feeling guilty about inability to improve one’s medical condition, disregard for their illness, and sadness that their medical condition does not improve. These concepts were divided into thoughts about own illness, and thoughts about doctors and pharmacists.

“Pharmacist reception” included 23 types such as ‘same question every time’, ‘careless question’, ‘inadequate explanation’, etc.

These types were divided into meaningless reception, receptions that cause discomfort, receptions not meeting expectations, and voices that cause sadness and pain.

In this study, we clarified that the patient’s feelings were related to the pharmacist’s voice and response to their questions. Based on the knowledge gained about the patients’ mind revealed by this study, the pharmacists can assist in better providing medication to the patients with chronic diseases and contribute to interactive communication.

Practical pharmacy training was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 26 pharmacies (recovery rate: 29.2％) and 28 hospitals (85.1％) in Miyagi prefecture in 2020. Significant time requirements were reported for adjusting schedules, course contents, infection prevention measures, and remote training. Practical pharmacy training regarding patient care changed from a participation/experience-based format, and hospital training changed for not only patient care but also for drug therapy. The educational effect of the observation/lecture format was significantly lower than that of the participation/experience-based training in the following areas: dispensing based on prescriptions, participation in team medicine, and participation in community health, medical care, and welfare in pharmacy, and basic pharmacy practice, dispensing based on prescriptions, pharmacotherapy practice [understanding patient information], pharmacotherapy practice [prescription design and pharmacotherapy practice (evaluating efficacy and side effects of pharmacotherapy)], and participation in team medicine in hospital. In the event that participation/experience-based training cannot be conducted, it is essential for training facilities to collaborate in improving training formats that incorporate role-playing and remote training.

Subcutaneous daratumumab DARA-SC is superior to intravenous daratumumab with a significantly shorter treatment time for multiple myeloma. To prevent infusion reaction (IR) during DARA-SC, oral diphenhydramine, a first-generation antihistamine, has been used in the phase Ⅲ clinical trial and following clinical settings. We recently substituted diphenhydramine with levocetirizine, a second-generation antihistamine, to diminish antihistamine-induced sedation in our regimens for daratumumab.

In this study, we aimed to retrospectively compare the prevention of IR and rate adverse events between diphenhydramine and levocetirizine. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of patients in whom DARA-SC treatment was introduced for the first time from August 1st, 2021 to July 31, 2022, at Keio University Hospital.

For the first period, 7 and 24 patients were treated with diphenhydramine and levocetirizine, respectively. Neither patient experienced IR. Two out of 7 patients experienced drowsiness by diphenhydramine while only one of 24 patients experienced it by levocetirizine (P = 0.125). Five and one patients initially treated with diphenhydramine were switched to levocetirizine upon the second and third periods of DARA-SC treatment, respectively. After the switching, their drowsiness was reduced.

In conclusion, levocetirizine was considered more beneficial than diphenhydramine to prevent IR with a lower rate of drowsiness.

Brimonidine tartrate, an ophthalmic solution used for glaucoma treatment, is marketed under the brand name Aiphagan^® and is available in generic form. In this study, we evaluated the physical properties and usability of Aiphagan^® and five other generic products to assist pharmacists in selecting the optimal solution for their patients. The pH and viscosity of the solution were measured. Additionally, the total number of drops per product, average drop weight, and squeeze force required to expel a drop were measured using a digital force gauge. Additionally, a colorimeter was used to measure the differences in bottle-nozzle color and a questionnaire on usability was administered to 45 healthy subjects. Although the solutions had comparable pH and osmotic pressure, viscosity differed among the products. Variations were also observed in the total number of drops per product, individual drop weight, and squeeze force required to expel a drop. All six products received high ratings for usability, with the most highly rated characteristics being ease of opening the cap, ease of squeezing out a drop, ease of seeing the nozzle, and ease of holding the container. Overall, this study revealed the factors that users associate with an ideal ophthalmic drug container, information which is currently not listed in package inserts or interview forms. By disclosing this information, pharmacists could provide users with better guidance when prescribing brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solutions. In conclusion, our study contributes to pharmacists’ knowledge in selecting an appropriate solution for their patients.