1.The Problems of the Herbal Medicines
Donghyo KANG ; Toshiaki MAKINO ; Kuniko SHINOHARA
Kampo Medicine 2008;59(3):397-425
2.Investigation on the Use of an Automated Question-and-Answer Post-Dispensing Follow-up Application during the Medication Period
Yoshiko TOMINAGA ; Ayumi OKIZAKI ; Masaki SUZUKI ; Nobuyasu SUGIMOTO ; Kozo TADA ; Tomoya KUDO ; Kuniko SHINOHARA
Japanese Journal of Drug Informatics 2023;25(3):143-149
Objective: Continuous medication management is demanded from community pharmacists, including mandatory follow-ups (FUs) during the medication period. To improve their efficiency and quality, a software application (app) is being introduced. We investigated the use of the app for FUs by comparing it to the use of phone calls.Design: This was a retrospective studythat collected FU records from participating pharmacies.Methods: FU records of an automated question-and-answer post-dispensing app and phone calls made at 10 pharmacies in June-July 2021 were collected. Differences in the work time and contents of each FU tool were evaluated.Results: Of the 138 eligible cases, 69 (50.0%) used the app and 62 (44.93%) used phones. There was 1 case of FU interruption using the app and 12 for those using phone calls. Preparation time to initiate FU was shorter using the app than phone calls (0.28 ± 0.96 min vs. 5.06 ± 5.44 min). Moreover, there were more cases of pharmaceutical problems identified using the app than phone calls (69.57% vs. 35.48%).Conclusion: The FU app maybe a more efficient tool for identifying problems than phone calls. Further studies are needed to optimize the tool according to patient characteristics.