Impact of the increase in the number of community pharmacists on their geographical distribution in Japan: a retrospective survey

Iguchi, Kazuhiro; Ueyama, Midori; Nishio, Hiroto; Tamaki, Hirofumi; Osanai, Arihiro; Ino, Yoko; Nonomura, Kazuya; Horibe, Megumi; Matsunaga, Toshiyuki; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro

doi:10.1186/s40545-022-00499-9

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Considering the increasing role of community pharmacists of healthcare delivery and ensuring safe, effective, and efficient access to medicines, community pharmacists density are increasing globally. 60 In Japan, number of community pharmacists increased by 32.9% from 135,716 in 2008 to 180,415 in 2018. 60 The increase in community pharmacy workforce led to an increase in the density of community pharmacists per 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia to be 6.73 in 2022.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 60 In Japan, number of community pharmacists increased by 32.9% from 135,716 in 2008 to 180,415 in 2018. 60 The increase in community pharmacy workforce led to an increase in the density of community pharmacists per 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia to be 6.73 in 2022. This density was higher than the global average of 5.14, similar to that in high-income countries (ie, 6.66) but lower than that in the European region (7.23).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends, Capacity Growth, and Current State of Community Pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Findings and Implications of a 16-Year Retrospective Study

Alrasheedy

2023

RMHP

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Purpose Community pharmacies provide access to medicines and pharmaceutical services. Consequently, adequate availability and sufficient workforce capacity must be ensured for effective healthcare delivery. This study assessed the community pharmacy sector in Saudi Arabia, including density, workforce capacity, and evolution from 2007 to 2022. Methods This retrospective study measured community pharmacy infrastructure and workforce capacity using international indicators and standardized measures, including community pharmacy and community pharmacist density per 10,000 people and ratio of community pharmacists per pharmacy. Several data sources and platforms were used to collect the data including the Ministry of Health, Saudi General Authority for Statistics, and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Results The number of community pharmacies increased by 89.30%, from 5466 in 2007 to 10,347 in 2022, and density increased from 2.25 to 3.22. However, density varied by region, from 3.97 to 1.95. The number of community pharmacists increased by 98.02%, from 10,932 in 2007 to 21,648 in 2022, and community pharmacist density increased from 4.51 to 6.73. However, the ratio of community pharmacists per pharmacy remained unchanged (2.0 in 2007 and 2.1 in 2022). Female pharmacists were first issued licenses to practice in community pharmacies in 2016, and the proportion of female pharmacists to total increased from 0.29% (n=42) in 2016 to 10.95% (n=2370) in 2022. The nationalization policy for community pharmacies was implemented in 2020, and the proportion of Saudi pharmacists increased from 3.08% (n=581) in 2019 to 19.90% (n=4306) in 2022, while proportion of expatriate pharmacists decreased from 96.92% (n=18,292) to 80.10% (n=17,342). Conclusion The findings showed that the community pharmacy sector in Saudi Arabia recently experienced substantial growth comparable to high-income countries. However, further improvements are required in some regions to increase community pharmacy density. Moreover, the ratio of pharmacists per pharmacy should be improved to meet the healthcare system needs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends, Capacity Growth, and Current State of Community Pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Findings and Implications of a 16-Year Retrospective Study

Alrasheedy

2023

RMHP

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“…S1 Table presents basic assumptions of the pharmaceutical pricing system in selected countries to show the complexity of market evaluations and comparisons. Despite potential difficulties, we analyzed data from 21 countries, which we tried to divide following market regulation (15 countries: Poland, Hungary, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Croatia, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Indonesia, and Australia) and deregulation (6 countries: Czech Republic, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Brazil, and the US) [18,[21][22][23][24][25]. From the preliminary sampling of 30 medicines, we selected 10 brand names (5 Rx and 5 OTC brands) for the analysis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medicines prices in International (Geary–Khamis) Dollar. The comparison between regulated and deregulated markets

Zaprutko,

Cynar,

Sygit

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Background Affordability of medicines is key for effective healthcare. Thus, we compared medicine prices using International Dollar (I$), which allows confronting the values of different currencies. Besides, we intended to verify if pharmaceutical market deregulation leads to lower medicines prices. Materials and methods We conducted the study between December 2019 and September 2022 collecting data from 21 countries. From the preliminary sampling of 30 medicines, we selected 10 brand names (5 Rx and 5 OTC brands) for the analysis. In each country, we collected price information from 3 pharmacies and then converted them to the I$ using the rates published by the International Monetary Fund. Results There were differences between regulated and deregulated markets in prices presented in I$. For instance, Aspirin C® (10 soluble pills) was on average I$ 5.41 in Finland (regulated market) and I$ 13.25 in Brazil. The most expensive Xarelto® 20 x 28 pills (I$ 538.40) was in Romania, which in the case of other medicines, was in the group of cheaper countries. There was no statistical significance in price comparison between regulated and deregulated markets. In some cases, however, regulated markets offered lower prices of the same medicine than deregulated markets. Conclusion The analysis revealed differences in I$ prices between countries. Pharmaceutical market regulation does not mean higher prices of medicines. There is a need for affordable medicines. Hence, decision-makers should work on the medicines prices and adjust them to the local economies. I$ could be important in creating pharmaceuticals prices, and the conducted study should encourage other researchers to present their results using this currency.

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Assessment of embryologist sufficiency and associated regional disparities in Japanese assisted reproduction facilities using nationwide survey data (IZANAMI project)

Shirasawa,

Yamada,

Jwa

et al. 2024

J of Obstet and Gynaecol

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AimsThis study aims to comprehensively examine the employment and practices of embryologists in Japan's assisted reproductive technology (ART) laboratories, focusing on the impact of various factors such as ART cycle numbers, add‐ons, and regional differences. Additionally, it seeks to assess the extent to which Japanese ART facilities meet international minimum standards set by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).MethodsA survey was conducted from December 2021 to February 2022 among 621 ART facilities in Japan. The study categorized facilities into five ART cycle groups and compared the number of embryologists across these groups. It also examined the correlation between the number of embryologists, ART cycles, add‐ons, and regional differences. Data were analyzed using linear regression and multiple linear regression analyses.ResultsThe study's findings revealed a significant correlation between the total number of embryologists at each facility and the ART cycles. Notably, there were significant differences in the number of embryologists across all ART cycle categories. Of the 435 facilities, only 44.6% met the ASRM minimum embryologist staffing requirement. The regression analysis further highlighted the significance of ART cycles and preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies as factors. Moreover, the number of embryologists stationed at urban facilities was significantly higher than at nonurban facilities, indicating a potential regional disparity.ConclusionIn Japan, it was first found that more than 50% of ART facilities do not have sufficient embryologists in place relative to the number of ART cycles. Furthermore, the add‐ons and regional differences affect the placement of embryologists.

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Impact of the increase in the number of community pharmacists on their geographical distribution in Japan: a retrospective survey

Cited by 6 publications

References 22 publications

Trends, Capacity Growth, and Current State of Community Pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Findings and Implications of a 16-Year Retrospective Study

Trends, Capacity Growth, and Current State of Community Pharmacies in Saudi Arabia: Findings and Implications of a 16-Year Retrospective Study

Medicines prices in International (Geary–Khamis) Dollar. The comparison between regulated and deregulated markets

Assessment of embryologist sufficiency and associated regional disparities in Japanese assisted reproduction facilities using nationwide survey data (IZANAMI project)

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