The Actual State of Medical Activities as “Home Pharmacy” Including Preventive Medicine in Community Pharmacy and Their Regional Differences

Abstract

To determine the``home pharmacy'' activities including preventive medicine in community pharmacies and their regional diŠerences, we conducted two questionnaire surveys of pharmacies belonging to the pharmacists' association in four areas, two metropolitan areas (Kita-tama area and Minato-ku in Tokyo) and two rural areas (Ueda-shi in Nagano and Aira-gun in Kagoshima) in 1998 and 2007. The questionnaire consisted of 42 questions including the scale and characteristics of the pharmacy, the oŠering of information to patients and information collection from patients, and activities related to home care medicine, environmental sanitation, and healthcare. Based on 14 factors in the questionnaire, an index of``Community Medicine Contributed by Home Pharmacies'' was evaluated to represent the extent of activity including preventive medicine in pharmacy. The median of the indexes in the four areas rose in 2007, and was the highest in Ueda-shi. However, the increase in the index was found to result from increases in activity related to clinical medicine such as the use of``Medication Notebooks'' and the circulation of``Pharmaceutical Instructions'' and did not result from increased activity related to preventive medicine. Factors to promote preventive medicine activity are discussed based on the data from Aira-gun where the greatest home care medicine activity occurred and from Ueda-shi where the greatest environmental sanitation and healthcare activities occurred.

Perspectives on the Continuous Medication Monitoring Function of Pharmacies in the Community Health Care System: A Nationwide Survey in Japan

“…In addition, hygiene promotion and consultations pertaining to home-based medical care are considered an important pharmacy function. However, as these activities are important elements of community medicine 10) , their current status has not been investigated adequately. age, and residential area of the respondents were also determined using the panel registry information.…”