As patient care evolves, there is an increasing expectation for community pharmacists to participate in patient-centered care. To improve outpatient care, efficient sharing of patient information between hospitals and community pharmacies is necessary. This study surveys patients’ opinions and experiences concerning their understanding of information sharing between community pharmacists and hospitals, the types of information patients are interested in, and how patients relate to community pharmacists. In conducting this survey, the authors sought the cooperation of member pharmacies of the Ito Pharmaceutical Association, a general incorporated association, and conducted the survey at five community pharmacies. Survey participants consisted of consenting patients who used the community pharmacies during a period of approximately one month from June 2, 2023. Overall, there were 112 respondents to the questionnaire. Of the respondents, 56.3% of patients thought that information concerning their consultation was immediately communicated to the community pharmacy. Topics most important to patients included “side effects and their extent,” followed by “why the prescription drug was changed.” About half of the respondents were unaware that community pharmacies could provide patient information to hospitals. This indicates a need for community pharmacists to better inform patients of their services. Given these responses, an online-based patient information sharing system is being created as a priority to improve communication and information sharing. Ultimately, the mode of information shared requires careful evaluation to ensure that the expertise of community pharmacists in dealing with individual patients can enhance personalized patient care and treatment outcomes.

To evaluate the efficacy of medication follow-up, we analyzed cases where this support was provided, and a tracing report (TR) was submitted. During the survey period, 907 TRs were submitted, representing 46.5% of the total reports (907 out of 1,952). Telephone contact was an important source of information. The breakdown of reports was: 1,387 for Side Effects and Allergies, 603 for Awareness of illness, awareness of medication, and living environment, 33 for Concomitant medications, dosage and dosage form, and 452 for Drug Adherence (with multiple reports per TR). On average, 2.73 reports were listed per TR. There were 140 TRs that included suggestions to alter prescriptions, and in 68 of these cases, the prescriptions were subsequently altered. Additionally, we investigated 22 cases in which prescriptions were not altered to elucidate the reasons. In 106 cases, prescriptions were altered based on the patient’s condition, even without specific prescription alteration suggestions. These findings suggest that sharing information obtained from Medication follow-up with healthcare providers positively impacts subsequent visits and aids in effective drug treatment.

In this study, a questionnaire survey was performed targeting community pharmacies to investigate of the current status of patient information transfer with medical institutions and participation in a regional healthcare information network (NW). The factors related to these activities were then analyzed. Of the 159 pharmacies that responded to the survey, only 14 participated in an NW, which was a low participation rate. The results showed that the number of home patients and the number of medical institutions with which patient information was exchanged were significantly higher in pharmacies participating in the NW program than in those not participating, and regression analysis showed that these were relevant factors for NW participation. In addition, under the assumption of no cost-sharing, the inconvenience of information transfer was related to the intention to participate in an NW. Conversely, a certain number of respondents were reluctant to participate in the NW. The aforementioned factors were related to the “Vision for Patient-Centered Pharmacies” and to assuming an active role in community-based integrated care systems, suggesting that pharmacy participation in NWs is likely to contribute to the improvement of pharmacy functions. Furthermore, clarifying the cost-effectiveness of NWs appears to be important to increase pharmacies’ participation in NWs.

In Japan, there have been no reports comparing the physical and psychological burdens associated with liquid and semi-solid enteral nutrition administered at home. Through care managers or home-visiting nurses, a survey interview was administered to caregivers (96 in the liquid group and 93 in the semi-solid group) of patients receiving home enteral nutrition regarding their nutritional and water management. In addition, we investigated the physical and psychological burdens felt by those responsible for administering enteral formulas. The results demonstrated that daily caloric intake was 1,000 kcal/day in both groups, the administration time was significantly shorter in the semi-solid group, some of the patients in both groups did not receive additional water administration, and the semi-solid group took significantly more medications than the liquid group. While there was no significant difference in the level of burden associated with administering enteral nutrition, the reasons for this were different: in the semi-solid group, the preparation of medication and administration of the bolus injection was burdensome, while longer administration time in the liquid group was felt to be a significant burden. To alleviate these burdens, it is important to consider collaboration and intervention by a multidisciplinary team.

It is known that the elderly suffer from pruritus, which can cause itching sensations. Prolonged itching can reduce quality of life, so proper skin care is required in nursing care settings. Therefore, to improve caregivers, working in residential nursing homes (hereinafter referred to as caregivers), understanding of topical medication application, we used a questionnaire to investigate their actual skin care practices. We also determined whether pharmacists’ instructions could aid in caregivers’ understanding of topical medication application and thereby improve patients’ itching sensations. Results from self-reports based on the questionnaire show that caregivers’ understanding of medication application improved in many areas after training. In addition, we surveyed the itching of residents, which showed that about half of the patients had itching and their itch score decreased significantly (p<0.001) after pharmacist’s instruction. This study confirms that pharmacists’ instruction to caregivers can improve their understanding of topical medications, which in turn can lead to appropriate skin care and reduce patients’ pruritus.

Gastrointestinal bleeding induced by dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and P2Y12 inhibitor is known to have an impact on patient prognosis. However, few studies have evaluated the increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding with DAPT and the timing of its occurrence by bleeding site. We evaluated the trends of increased risk and timing of concomitant bleeding using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report, a database of adverse event reports in Japan. Cases of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and lower gastrointestinal bleeding were selected from this database and divided into single agent and combination groups according to the use of aspirin or P2Y12 inhibitors. The adjusted reporting odds ratios calculated in each group for concomitant aspirin or P2Y12 inhibitor use were compared. The number of days to bleeding was calculated from the date of drug initiation and the date of bleeding onset, and the pattern of onset was determined from the distribution. Adjusted reporting odds ratios suggested that the combination of aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor may increase the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Weibull distribution parameters suggested that upper gastrointestinal bleeding and lower gastrointestinal bleeding may have different expression trends with the combination of aspirin and P2Y12 inhibitors. These results suggest that it is important for pharmacists to pay more attention to the occurrence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding during DAPT use compared with antiplatelet monotherapy, and to recognize and systematically monitor the trend of occurrence.

Background: In Japan, prescribing syrup formulations is the mainstay of drug therapy for pediatrics. Pharmacists measure the prescribed amount of these solution syrups using an easy-to-use metering glass. However, when measuring high-viscosity syrup in portions, some of the syrup may remain on the inner wall of the metering glass, significantly reducing the accuracy of the measured volume. Objective: The purpose of this study was to improve dispensing accuracy by identifying the syrups with the lowest amount of residue in the metering glass among the original and four generic syrups for pediatrics containing ambroxol hydrochloride. Methods: Three metering glasses made of different materials (glass, polypropylene, and polymethylpentene) were used and residual adhesion rate was calculated from the amount of syrup remaining on the metering glass. Results: In all metering glasses used for the measurements, the original syrup containing ambroxol hydrochloride had a higher viscosity and a significantly higher residual adhesion rate than its generic products. Conclusion: It was suggested that selecting generic drugs with low residual adhesion rates for syrups containing ambroxol hydrochloride improves the accuracy of dispensing syrups.

In this study, we investigated how persons with visual impairment manage their medications, how they respond to changes in their physical condition, and how pharmacists can provide the support and medication guidance that these individuals need in an appropriate manner. A survey was conducted face-to-face with persons with visual impairment between May and the end of August 2023. The results revealed that 16 (53.3%) of the severely visually impaired (30 people) said they had problems with medication, 6 (20%) said they had difficulty understanding information on medication, 4 (13.3%) said they had difficulty choosing when purchasing medication and 5 (16.7%) said they had difficulty managing medication, 8 (26.7%) found it ‘difficult to distinguish when taking medicines’. In the future, it is necessary to further consider how pharmacists can utilize the latest technology (including QR codes and voice data) to support those who have difficulty gathering information visually.

Patient follow-up during medication use has been widely recognized as an essential aspect of healthcare. However, it is still necessary to determine the appropriate methods and circumstances for follow-up. A retrospective survey examined patient follow-up practices where diabetes treatment drugs were prescribed. The survey found that patient follow-up was implemented for 66% of patients, resulting in the identification of poor medication adherence and adverse events. Although the implementation rate was lower among younger patients, many reports of adverse events and other concerns were addressed through consultation. Moreover, the presence of a primary care pharmacist was found to be associated with successful implementation. These findings suggest that patient follow-up plays a crucial role in alleviating patient anxiety and ensuring safe and successful medication therapy. However, to optimize patient follow-up, it is necessary to understand how primary care pharmacists can best utilize their capabilities in conducting patient follow-up and determine the optimal methods and timing for implementing such follow-up.

Only a small percentage of pharmacies are equipped to handle aseptic dispensing. Furthermore, there are challenges to implementing aseptic dispensing in home pharmaceutical care. Although the shared use of aseptic dispensing rooms was introduced in 2012, there are few reports on the utilization rate of this system. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey among pharmacies in Gifu Prefecture that offer home pharmaceutical care to elucidate the current status and challenges of aseptic dispensing and shared use. Survey items included basic information about the pharmacies, and current status and attitudes towards aseptic dispensing. Although 35.1% (91/259) of the pharmacies reported some capability for aseptic dispensing, including shared use or referrals to other pharmacies, only seven pharmacies (12.3% of those capable of aseptic dispensing) performed it. Among these, only one pharmacy reported sharing. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that two factors were significant predictors of a pharmacy’s capability for aseptic dispensing: authorization as “Community Collaborative Pharmacies”, and the number of patients receiving home pharmaceutical care annually (OR 2.832 and 2.014, respectively). In this study, we clarified the current landscape of aseptic dispensing and shared use, as well as identified factors associated with a pharmacy’s capacity for aseptic dispensing.

Intranasal corticosteroids are widely used to treat allergic rhinitis. A generic version of fluticasone furoate nasal spray, launched in June 2023, has a different device from the original Allermist^® nasal spray. However, the impact of this design change on patient satisfaction remains unexplored.

This study aimed to evaluate patient experiences when switching from Allermist^® nasal spray to the generic product and to provide information supporting the appropriate selection of generic products.

We surveyed patients who switched from Allermist^® nasal spray to the generic version at 11 pharmacies within our group between September 1 and November 30, 2023. The questionnaire comprised 11 items on “physical properties,” “usability,” and “post-use sensations/experience” rated on a five-point scale. Additionally, we asked patients which device they preferred if both were equally priced.

Data from 85 patients showed differences in “physical properties” and “usability” (such as ease of holding, pressing, and opening/closing the cap) between the two devices. In contrast, for “post-use sensations/experience” (e.g., odor of the liquid, dripping), the majority of patients perceived no difference between the two devices. Regarding future device preference, 26 patients (30.6%) preferred the generic, 30 (35.3%) preferred the original, and 29 (34.1%) had no preference.

Our findings indicated that the evaluations of “physical properties” and “usability” differed among patients, suggesting that determining a superior device is not possible. However, “post-use sensations/experience” were similar for both devices. Because the “usability” and “physical properties” of the device may influence patient adherence, clinicians should thoroughly inform patients of these differences when switching devices.

Obtaining laboratory data on renal function in community pharmacies is challenging, as pharmacists rarely perform pharmaceutical interventions based on the patient’s renal function during over-the-counter (OTC) medication sales. This study aimed to identify OTC medications requiring caution in patients with impaired renal function using the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) database. Moreover, we compared renal function-related cautionary notes in the package inserts of prescription drugs having the same composition. The analysis focused on the package inserts of OTC medications sold exclusively by pharmacists. Among these, 64% (9/14 cases) of pharmaceuticals requiring guidance (yo-shidou medication) and 80% (107/134 cases) of Category 1 OTC medications had renal function-related warnings in the “precautions for use (what you should not do/who should seek consultation)” section. For OTC medications containing famotidine and nizatidine, the dosage and administration were set lower than those for prescription drugs. Although these drugs can be used for patients with impaired renal function on prescription, their use is restricted as OTC medications. We believe that enabling self-checks of renal function at community pharmacies could expand the range of indications for OTC medications and promote notified self-medication.