The 2022 revised version of the Pharmaceutical Education Model Core Curriculum requires the implementation of dissemination guidance and awareness activities on health knowledge. Our university, we provide “YAKUIKU”—an educational activity that pharmacy students conduct for residents to maintain their health. This activity expounds on the proper use of medicines and prevention of drug abuse and prevention. We interviewed eight students who took YAKUIKU in AY2022. Through a qualitative analysis, we identified the practical skills required to conduct dissemination guidance and awareness activities on health knowledge and acquired through the experience of “YAKUIKU.” The results of the analysis revealed the following seven elements of practical skills:（ 1） recognition of the target audience’s presence,（ 2） ingenuity in speaking strategies,（ 3） creation of a peaceful atmosphere,（ 4） twoway communication,（ 5） ability to convey accurate information,（ 6） independent movement, and（ 7） sense of collaboration. The results suggested that engaging in “YAKUIKU” during their undergraduate program may help students acquire practical skills in disseminating health knowledge and promoting awareness activities.

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This study examined medication adherence by considering not only the components of self-efficacy （efficacy expectation and outcome expectation）, but also both subjective health literacy（ HL） and the objective HL measure, health numeracy（ HN）. The target diseases included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia, which are representative chronic conditions without subjective symptoms, as well as hay fever and insomnia, which are symptomatic conditions with increasing patient numbers（ without overlapping diseases）. Through an online survey, patients with these conditions were asked about their medication adherence, efficacy expectation, outcome expectation, three dimensions of HL（ functional, interactive, and critical）, and two types of HN（ NVS-J and Lipkus-J）. The results of multiple population analyses via path analysis showed that, for adherence, self-efficacy’s efficacy expectation and outcome expectation were independent factors, without mediation by HL. In addition, for symptomatic diseases, only the outcome expectation of self-efficacy affected adherence. Of the HL dimensions, functional HL affected all diseases, whereas critical HL negatively affected some diseases. These findings suggest that the influence structure of self-efficacy varies based on the presence of symptoms, indicating that fostering efficacy expectations is crucial for asymptomatic diseases, whereas fostering outcome expectations is vital for symptomatic diseases. Furthermore, functional HL is useful in predicting medication adherence, and for some diseases, it is important to consider the potential overestimation of medication risks.

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To clarify factors associated with stress among pharmacists engaged in home healthcare, we conducted a mail questionnaire survey of pharmacies providing home healthcare services in 3 Tokai prefectures（ Aichi, Gifu, and Mie）,using the “Questionnaire on Home Pharmaceutical Service” and “Pharmacist’s Stress Scale for Home Care （PSS）”, and obtained valid responses from 399 pharmacists. The PSS consists of 51 items of 5 factors: “1. Difficulty and feeling of incompetence in patient care”, “2. Relationship with superiors and work environment”, “3. Burdens related to work load and work contents”, “4. Communication with patients and families”, and “5. Communication with other professions”. We calculated the mean value and standard deviation for each factor, and compared them based on attributes and backgrounds. The results showed that pharmacists engaged in home healthcare perceived stress due to “3. Burdens related to work load and work contents”. The comparison based on pharmacists’ attributes revealed associations between their stress due to “2. Relationship with superiors and work environment” and being female, a short working experience in home healthcare, managerial or full-time job, and short wage working hours per week. Furthermore, the mean score was higher for items related to interaction with patients and end-of-life care, and interpersonal work and patient death were feared stressors. In light of these factors, it is necessary to consider the improvement of the work environment and training programs.

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Recent pharmacy education has placed importance on communication to build good relationships as pharmacists. In this study, we instructed 220 third-year pharmacy students who took the［ Clinical Communication］ course in FY2022 to assess their own communication skills using a communication rubric（ CR） before and after the lectures. The CR consisted of 2 major areas: 〈basic communication skills〉 and 〈professional interpersonal skills〉, with a column to enter descriptions of reflection on communication skills. We collected descriptions after the lectures, qualitatively analyzed them using the grounded theory approach, and examined the characteristics of reflection on cultivating communication skills. The characteristics identified were classified into［ factors that transform communication difficulties associated with passive attitudes and low self-efficacy into a sense of personal growth］ and ［factors that help overcome conflicts in interpersonal relationship due to lack of emotional control/awareness of others, and realize the acquisition of assertiveness］.

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