Objectives : Pharmaceutical companies in Japan can attach pharmacoeconomic (PE) data to their application for new drug prices covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI) system since 1992. To examine the present state of PE studies in Japan by investigating the situation of PE data attachments and their details and also to identify problems concerning how to reflect the PE information in new drug pricing, a questionnaire-based survey of pharmaceutical companies was conducted.
Method : The survey covered 115 drugs filed by the members of the Japanese Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (JPMA), which are among the 137 drugs listed between June 20, 1997, when the NHI drug price formula was published, and November 17, 2000. Questionnaires were returned on 114 of the 115 drugs studied and the response rate was 99%.
Results : PE data was attached to 37 of the 114 drugs (32%) at the time of application. The ratio of applications accompanied by PE data tended to be decreased from 1998. No significant relation was observed between a premium for a drug and the attachment of PE data. The most common method used in the attached PE data was cost-effective analysis (14 of 37 drugs ; 38%), followed by cost-benefit analysis (7 drugs) and cost-minimization analysis (6 drugs). Cost-utility analysis was not applied to any of the 37 drugs.
Discussion : Compared with overseas PE studies, Japanese studies were found to be less comparable with one another due to the lack of a uniform system of research and reporting results. Other problems observed included insufficient epidemiological data for analysis and difficulty in the cost data collection. The questionnaire-based survey revealed that Japan needs to set guidelines for PE studies and to establish epidemiological and cost databases for these research activities. It also suggested the necessity of reviewing the present method of clinical tests so that economic parameters for PE analysis and QOL may be obtained from these tests.

In 2018, the OK Project was launched with the aim of sharing with children the essence of spiritual care fostered in hospice and palliative care. The project developed teaching materials, trained certified instructors, and delivered classes. By September 2023, 189 instructors were certified and a total of 720 programs delivered (202 in elementary schools, 88 in junior high schools, 25 in high schools, 78 in universities and vocational schools, and 327 in other schools) with 53,360 participants. Comments from the participants after the classes (freely written) indicated that they found support from their painful experiences, felt relieved after listening to the stories, wanted to be supportive themselves, and wanted to share what they had learned with others. As a follow-up for certified instructors, a place for certified instructors to learn from each other was regularly held online, and an environment was created where they could practice their presentations and provide feedback. OK Project has a potential to contributing to Compassionate Community because children can live in peace while embracing suffering that is difficult to resolve.

In the areas of home medical care and self-medication, the role of the pharmacist is growing, partly as a result of Japan’s aging society and the need to reduce medical costs. In response, the Kinki University Faculty of Pharmacy implemented a physical assessment practical training seminar in order to improve the physical assessment skills of practicing pharmacists. A series of questionnaires were conducted among pharmacists to investigate their perceptions of physical assessment practical training seminars. The results of the questionnaires were analyzed using Customer Satisfaction (CS) analysis and text mining. Based on a 5-point scale (1-low∼5-high), questionnaires revealed satisfaction for physical assessment practical training seminars was 4.6±0.6 (Ave.±S.D.). CS analysis revealed that the items “lectures” and “case seminars” had the highest level of satisfaction. However, items showing low levels of satisfaction were “auscultation of respiratory sounds” and “SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation).” Results of text mining suggested a relationship between “physical assessment” and “difficult”. Analysis of the questionnaires showed a high level satisfaction with physical assessment practical training seminars, notably physical assessment practice methods. However, CS analysis and text mining indicate the finer techniques of physical assessment were difficult to acquire.

Objective: Repeated guidance through specific health guidance (SHG), a service that provides health advice to high-risk individuals for specific health examinations, may be affected by examinees’ mental health status. However, the association between repeated SHG sessions and mental health remains unclear.Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 123 men and women who underwent specific health checkups at Jiaikai Izuro Imamura Hospital between April 13, 2021 and April 13, 2022 after receiving SHG in the previous year. A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess burnout, resilience, and lifestyle-related factors such as weight change and the amount of alcohol consumed. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for repeated SHG were estimated using stepwise multiple logistic and mediation analyses.Results: The results showed that repeated SHG was significantly associated with weight gain ≥10 kg from the age of 20 years (OR=4.41, 95% CI 1.74–11.20) and burnout subscale of cynicism (OR=4.18, 95% CI 1.31–13.33).Conclusion: Weight loss guidance could be an effective component of SHG. Additionally, individuals who are repeatedly provided with SHG experience a mental health burden. Furthermore, interventions to reduce cynicism may be necessary to prevent the need for repeated SHG.