Objective: To reveal the current use of medication notebooks in clinical practice and the differences in submission rates of medication notebooks among patients with different sociodemographic and medical characteristics.
Methods: We conducted a survey of the submission rates by studying the medication history, from June 19, 2014, to July 3, 2014.
Results: The overall submission rate of returning patients was 57.1% and the submission rate of patients who visit a single medical institution was significantly lower than patients who visit more than two (55.4% vs. 67.7%, p<0.001).  Multivariate logistic regression also indicated significant differences between the single and multiple medical institution visit group (adjusted OR=2.74 [95% CI: 1.93-3.89], p<0.001).  Submission rates for patients in their 20, 30, and 50 s who visit a single medical institution were lower than 40%.
Conclusions: To improve the usefulness of the community pharmacy and increase the submission rate, we need to increase awareness of the importance of medication notebooks among patients who visit a single medical institution.  Additionally, future studies need to focus on factors such as age-related issues that might affect submission rates.