The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially transformed the healthcare sector. While telemedicine has rapidly advanced, the essential roles of medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses, have been reaffirmed. Even prior to the pandemic, we had been evaluating pharmacists’ interpersonal roles from both patient and pharmacist perspectives using role theory. Accordingly, we investigated whether perceptions of pharmacists’ roles changed among patients and pharmacists through comparable surveys conducted before and during the pandemic. A nationwide online survey was conducted twice (April 30-May 7, 2021, and April 22-25, 2022), targeting 1,000 patients who used community pharmacies and 600-800 pharmacists employed at those pharmacies across Japan. The questionnaire comprised 12 items： 11 concerning pharmacists’ interpersonal roles, including communication, comprehending medication effects, and serving as a family pharmacist or drug expert, and one additional item addressing expectations during the pandemic. A five-point Likert scale was used. Compared with pre-pandemic results, patient evaluations revealed no statistically significant changes in either 2021 or 2022. However, pharmacists’ self-evaluations declined in response to the question, “Are pharmacists more expert in medicine than doctors?” The newly introduced question regarding pharmacists’ contributions to the community received higher ratings from patients than from pharmacists, indicating considerable patient expectations. Overall, only pharmacists’ perceptions changed, demonstrating decreased confidence and self-evaluation. Conversely, patient perceptions remained stable, suggesting that pharmacists are more sensitive to social changes than patients themselves.

Clinical research is crucial for enhancing the quality of patient medical care. It is essential to raise research awareness among community pharmacists and to further improve their research skills. However, there is a limit to improving research skills as an individual. Therefore, in 2021, SOGO MEDICAL CO., LTD. established a department dedicated to supporting clinical research conducted by community pharmacists. A team-based research system was implemented by assigning researchers and advisors to teams in the districts where pharmacies are located. Additionally, research supporters were assigned to each district to check research proposals and conference presentation materials. Although the number of conference presentations has increased over the past four years since the initiation of research promotion, the number of published studies remains low. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a company-led research support system on the on community pharmacists’ awareness of and participation in clinical research. Pharmacists, who had advised and supported, demonstrated higher awareness, whereas those with no such experience tended to have passive motivations for participation. It has also identified that improving the research skills of research advisors and supporters themselves is a key challenge. To promote high-quality research in the future, it is necessary to provide tailored support to pharmacists based on their level of research experience.

Excessive alcohol consumption, whether chronic or sudden, can lead to serious health issues. To mitigate these risks, it is essential to disseminate accurate information about alcohol consumption while fostering awareness and behavioral change. Previously, we developed a 10-minute video on “Alcohol Metabolism and Genetic Polymorphism” as a tool to aid in the prevention of alcohol-related diseases. We assessed its effectiveness among pharmacy students by administering pre- and post-viewing tests, with results indicating that it served as an effective educational tool within a short period. To extend this educational approach beyond pharmacy students, who generally possess higher levels of expertise and health consciousness, it is necessary to create an illustrated video incorporating visual effects and conduct a survey to evaluate its impact across a wide range of ages. Therefore, in order to clarify the effectiveness of the improved illustrated video lecture, we evaluated it with pre- and post-viewing tests on university festival participants and showed that it can improve the comprehension of people up to their 60s. These data suggest that illustrated video lectures can be an effective educational tool for spreading knowledge on alcohol consumption. Further research is needed to determine whether increased knowledge leads to changes in drinking behavior and prevention of alcohol-related social problems.

In an aging society, as individual lifestyles and values become more diverse, subjective health indicators at the individual level rather than at the group level are now being emphasized. This study examined factors influencing the subjective health of elderly people, and examined the relationship between health behaviors, sense of coherence, and social activity. A questionnaire survey was conducted among participants in lifelong learning programs and exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the effects of the questionnaire items on subjective health. There were 174 participants, with an average age of 73.4 years old. The more than half of respondents gave positive answers to questions about their health and lifestyle habits. Their nutritional status, eating habits, sleep condition, and exercise habits were good. Exploratory factor analysis of the questionnaire results extracted 4 factors for health behaviors and one factor for sense of coherence. The results of the covariance structure analysis of subjective health showed that the latent variable social activities had the greatest influence on subjective health. The observed variables mainly influenced by social activities were health behavior, a sense of coherence, and community communication. It was shown that social activities had a significant direct effect as a factor in the high subjective health.

Patients with cancer are at a high risk of weight loss and malnutrition due to factors such as anorexia and taste disorders. For these individuals, the community pharmacy they visit regularly may serve as an important resource for nutritional consultation. This study aimed to clarify the nutritional consultation needs of patients with cancer visiting community pharmacies and to examine both the necessity and content of such consultations. This study was conducted through a self-administered questionnaire survey among patients who visited 20 insurance pharmacies operated by the Miahelsa Corporation that accepted prescriptions for patients with cancer between May and June 2022. A total of 84 respondents provided valid responses. Results showed 98.8% of respondents felt that nutritional management during cancer treatment was important (answering “somewhat important” or “very important”). Furthermore, 23.2% of respondents reported experiencing a weight loss of ≥3 kg over a 3-month period, and 71.3% reported a decrease in food intake. Regarding the eight items of basic nutritional consultation unrelated to symptoms, 82.1% of respondents expressed a desire to consult about at least one item. The most frequently cited need was “a diet that prevents muscle loss and promotes muscle gain” (82.1%), followed by “how to evaluate one’s own nutritional status” (80.0%), and “advice on necessary nutrition and nutrient intake” (76.7%). These findings suggest that collaboration between pharmacists and dietitians working at community pharmacies to address patients’ nutritional needs, could play a crucial role in improving the quality of life and survival rates of patients with cancer.

This study aimed to assess the current state of knowledge regarding radiation and evaluate the effectiveness of a test-linked illustrated video lecture designed to enhance understanding. Radiation is used in various fields, including medicine, industry, and power generation; however, it poses potential health risks and accident hazards. Consequently, the dissemination and acquisition of accurate knowledge is socially significant. However, in Japan, opportunities to acquire foundational knowledge are limited and systematic education is not prevalent. To supplement this educational shortage, it is necessary to develop teaching materials that are easy for learners to understand and that promote understanding efficiently in a short time.　This study involved 94 first-year students from the Faculty of Pharmacy who viewed a 10 minute video on the basic properties of radiation, its effects on the human body, and its medical applications. Changes in knowledge were quantitatively assessed by comparing the comprehension test scores before and after viewing the video. The initial comprehension test scores (10 questions, each worth 10 points) averaged 42.6±15.4 and 39.3±17.9 points for male and female students, respectively, indicating a low level of comprehension with no significant gender differences. Conversely, in the retest following the video, both male and female students scored 85.6±13.7 and 85.2±18.6 points, respectively, demonstrating a high level of comprehension and a significant increase compared with the initial test (male: P<0.001, female: P<0.001）. These findings suggest that illustrated lectures can serve as an effective tool for enhancing comprehension irrespective of gender.

The Japan Anti-Doping Agency aims to eliminate doping to protect athletes’ health. However, unintentional doping violations can occur when athletes unknowingly consume prohibited substances. As future professionals, student pharmacists are expected to learn about anti-doping measures, while sports science students must learn how to comply with regulations. However, comparative studies on anti-doping awareness among students from different faculties remain limited in Japan. In this study we surveyed students from Nihon University who took Introduction to Anti-doping in the College of Sports Sciences, 2023, and student pharmacists who took the Science of Health and Physical Fitness II course in the School of Pharmacy, 2024. A comparison of the responses for each question of the survey revealed a significant difference in knowledge content regarding medicines. However, there were no apparent differences between the two faculties of participants in terms of awareness of anti-doping measures. Next, using qualitative research by text mining, we also found differences in anti-doping awareness among students of each school. First, the student pharmacists responses consisted of comments like: “Supporting athletes as a pharmacist,” “An interest in becoming a sports pharmacist” and “Consideration for patients who are athletes.” On the other hand, the Sports Science students responses consisted of comments like “Necessary for coaching athletes,” “Attitude toward doping as an athlete” and “Acquisition of knowledge through lectures.” In this study, qualitative analysis using text mining revealed that both the sports science students and pharmacy students constructed faculty-dependent behavioral goals related to anti-doping, demonstrating the usefulness of these courses.

This retrospective study assessed the role of hospital pharmacists in the initiation of growth hormone (GH) therapy in an outpatient setting. The study included 28 pediatric patients (< 15 years old) who started GH therapy at our institution between January 2012 and December 2021. Following physician referrals, hospital pharmacists provided medication counseling to the patients and their families. Notably, 6 patients (20%) opted for a specific GH formulation after receiving detailed explanations from the pharmacists. The observed growth velocity (cm/year) and serum IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1) SD scores were comparable to those reported in clinical trials for Norditropin^®. Three patients (11%) opted to discontinue treatment. A survey among 5 pediatricians revealed a unanimous agreement that the involvement of hospital pharmacists in outpatient services alleviated their workload during the initiation of GH therapy. Thus, the task of providing medication counseling at the initiation of GH therapy in pediatric patients could potentially be shifted from physicians to pharmacists.