Objective: Optimizing the time of ingestion and avoiding overdose are important aspects of medication therapy.  However, seeking explanations for selecting the time of ingestion and maximum dose for a certain drug is time consuming.  The aim of this study is to develop a database (DB) that enables a rapid search of the basis for the time of ingestion and maximum dose setting.
Methods: The basis for the time of ingestion and maximum dose setting were surveyed for 38 and 184 drugs, respectively.  Package inserts, interview forms, and other documents preserved in our department were surveyed, and this was followed by an inquiry of the staff of pharmaceutical companies.  Standard responses to a prescription with incorrect timing or dosage were determined and included into a DB together with information whose quality was dissected.  The efficiency of DB was evaluated: the time taken to obtain information and consistency of inquiries to clarify doubts concerning prescription with the use of DB and without the use DB were compared.
Results: The information of newer drugs, but not of the older drugs, were easily obtained without the need to inquire the staff of the pharmaceutical companies.  Operation of the DB was convenient and was acceptable for most pharmacists working in our department.  The DB markedly reduced the time taken to obtain information.  Further, with the aid of DB, the consistency in the responses to inquiries to clarify doubts concerning a pharmacist’s recommendation was remarkably increased.
Conclusion: The DB developed in the present study may contribute to the improvement of not only the efficiency but also the quality of dispensation.

The purpose of this study was to verify the concept of Kampo medicine epidemiologically and demonstrate the objective bases of the Kampo treatment. For this purpose, a population based survey of subjective symptoms based on Kampo medicine was conducted among 1,486 residents of Hase village, Nagano prefecture, ages 20 and older. The completion rate was 80.7% and 1,199 residents provided favorable responses. An investigation of gender differences showed a higher rate of blood deficiency among female residents, while spleen and qi deficiency were more common in males. Considering age differences, symptoms related to blood deficiency and water-dampness affected younger females, symptoms related to qi deficiency primarily affected younger males, and symptoms of liver afflictions were common in younger both genders. Among the elderly residents, symptoms of kidney deficiency were overwhelmingly predominant in both genders. Though younger people with subjective sense of health had few diseases in western medicine, most of the elderly with perceived health actually had some kind of diseases for medical treatment. Physical symptoms in the chest area such as shortness of breath correlated positively with the perception not to be healthy, and these may be regarded as both the manifestation and factors contributing to ill health. Approximately 1 out of 12 residents reported currently receiving the treatment of oriental medicine or demonstrated the potential to benefit from such intervention. These results may clinically be useful as the objective bases to perform the Kampo treatment.