Objective: We investigated cases of visit encouragement by pharmacists and drugstore salespersons, and confirmed the significance of self-medication support.Methods: We conducted a web survey for pharmacists working at community pharmacies and drugstores, and registered salespersons working at drugstores. The main survey items were the attributes of the respondents, whether they had experience in encouraging visits to the doctor during consultations for cold-like symptoms, and the type of encouragement (patient background, main complaints, and prognosis).Results: We obtained responses from 300 pharmacists working at community pharmacies, 57 pharmacists working at drugstores, and 56 registered salespersons. Of the respondents, 88% of the pharmacists at community pharmacies, and 100% of the pharmacists and registered salespersons at drugstores had experience in encouraging doctor visits. Of the 84 visit encouragement cases reviewed, the diseases that were often suspected were influenza, sinusitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Cases of early symptoms of tuberculosis, mycoplasma pneumonia, and cerebral infarction, which were identified as a result of the doctor visits, were also included.Conclusion: Our study suggested that when customers with cold-like symptoms received accurate support from pharmacists and registered salespersons, they not only selected the correct OTC drugs for their symptoms, but they also received support that led to the early detection of serious diseases.

75-year-old man had the right lower lobe resected because of pulmonary adenocarcinoma (stage IIB) and received 4 courses of postoperative chemotherapy 4 years earlier. Thereafter, he continued to complain of cough, sputum, and progressive exertional breathlessness. The preoperative chest CT showed ground glass opacity (GGO) at the bottom of both lung fields, and over time the GGO changed to honeycombing with traction bronchiectasis. He was administered prednisolone, clarithromycin, and pirfenidone but with little improvement. He exhibited hypoxemia (PaO₂ 56 mmHg) and was admitted. An interview revealed that he had worked in the poultry farming business for 45 years having had contact with and breeding 3,000 game fowl at the time of hospitalization. We suspected bird-related hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Results of the reaction to pigeon dropping extracts (PDE) were high, with PDE IgG 0.697 and PDE IgA 0.445. He was diagnosed with chronic bird-related hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Although the chest CT appearance was difficult to distinguish from that of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, the test for PDE and the interview were useful for reaching a diagnosis.