Objective: Finger-tip unit (FTU) has been used in Western countries to apply a specific amount of steroid ointment available in tube form.  Although prescription ointments for treating skin disorders are available in Japan, there are no indications for patients regarding the amount to be used.  Therefore, we investigated the factual assessment of patient compliance instructions on using the ointments given by pharmacists and conducted a comparative test on the amount of ointment in 1 FTU using commercially available ointment tube products.
Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey for 21 hospital pharmacists on patient compliance instructions for ointments.  Using six types of ointments, we measured the aperture area of ointment tube, weight of 1 FTU and squeezing number of tube.
Results: Fewer than 50% of pharmacists explained the application methods and amounts for one-time use when they provided patient compliance instructions.  There were many patients who used an ointment inadequately.  The most were problems about the quantity of application.  Wide variations were found among the amount of ointment in 1 FTU weight and number of available uses.
Conclusion: The survey results demonstrated that the methods used to apply the ointments are items that must also be emphasized by pharmacists when providing patients compliance instructions.  Furthermore, the patient compliance instructions should include the amount of ointment in 1 FTU and number of available uses within pharmaceutical products.

Background: Hydromorphone is an analogue of morphine used in the treatment of cancer-related pain. There have been few studies that have evaluated the analgesic effect upon transition from hydromorphone injections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the conversion ratio between injection and oral preparation. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart study of consecutive patients who were admitted to our hospital between July 2018 and December 2019. Results: In six patients, when the conversion ratio from hydromorphone injection to oral was changed at a 1:5 conversion ratio, three patients obtained adequate analgesic effects, the analgesic effect was insufficient in one case and an increased dose was required. Significant drowsiness appeared in two patients who required a decrease in dose. Conclusions: In converting from hydromorphone injections to oral preparations, it is necessary to carefully monitor the analgesic effect and adverse events and adjust the dosage for each case regardless of the conversion ratio.