Objective: The learning system "KimBen pharma" was introduced into pharmacy education at Okayama University to improve the quality of pharmacy education in accordance with the revision of the Model Core Curriculum for Pharmacy Education.Methods: In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey of third- to fifth-year pharmacy students as of 2023 to investigate their satisfaction with the learning system and survey on students' awareness following its introduction.Results: Overall, 79% of the students accorded a score of 4 or higher for the item "satisfaction with using KimBen pharma." In addition, 95.2 and 91.9% of the students scored 4 or higher in the "I could feel the clinical pharmacist's point of view" and "I could imagine that what I learned at the university would be useful in the clinical setting" sections, respectively.Conclusion: Pharmacy education using KimBen pharma is highly satisfactory for students, and the system is considered a desirable educational tool across all grade levels from third to fifth year. Additionally, "KimBen pharma" helps students understand the perspective of pharmacists in clinical settings and assists them in concretely visualizing how the content learned at university can be applied in real-world clinical practice.

Objective: To prevent the mis-prescription of drugs that differs from the true intention, it is important to understand the factors underlying mis-prescription. In this study, we focused on drug prescription errors caused by drug name similarities and compared drug dispensing errors by pharmacists to clarify their characteristics.Methods: We extracted cases of drug prescription and dispensing errors caused by drug name similarity from "near-miss events from pharmacies" reported from March 2020 to October 2022, which were curated by the Japan Council for Quality Health Care. By comparing the characteristics of pairs of "drugs intended to be prescribed or dispensed" and "drugs that were mis-prescribed or misdispensed" (called as drug name pairs), we analyzed trends in drug prescription errors caused by drug name similarity. Specifically, we evaluated drug name similarity (calculated using m2-Visually Weighted Head and Tail-weighted Fragmentary Pattern-Based Measure; m2-vwhtfrag), the number of initial common characters, and drug efficacy similarity (evaluated by drug efficacy classification number) in drug name pairs and assessed their occurrence among drug prescribing and dispensing error cases.Results: From the "near-miss events from pharmacies," 234 cases of prescription errors and 152 cases of dispensing errors caused by drug name similarity were extracted. Drug prescription errors exhibited higher drug name similarity (i.e., higher values of m2-vwhtfrag) and more initial common characteristics than drug dispensing errors. In contrast, drug prescription errors showed a lower consistency in drug efficacy similarity.Conclusion: In this study, we found that prescription errors by physicians were more likely to be influenced by drug name similarity and less likely to be influenced by drug efficacy similarity compared to the dispensing errors by pharmacists. These findings are reasonable, considering the characteristics of the prescription ordering systems.

Background: This study surveyed pharmacists registered with the Yamaguchi Prefectural Pharmacists Association to determine the key elements of tablet printing design that enhance visibility and distinguishability during dispensing.Objectives: The purpose of this study is to identify suitable design components for tablets that enhance visibility and distinguishability by utilizing text data.Methods: Given the high risk of medication errors due to similar-looking tablets, the study employed KH Coder for text mining analysis of free-text responses.Results: Results indicated that design elements such as "horizontal writing," "straight lines, " and "emphasis on characters" significantly improve visibility and distinguishability, particularly for similar-looking tablets. The findings from this study provide specific guidelines for optimal tablet design, aiming to improve pharmacists' efficiency and enhance medication safety.Conclusions: KH Coder proved to be a valuable tool for analyzing qualitative data in the medical field. While the study focused on pharmacists in Yamaguchi Prefecture, expanding the survey to a national scale is recommended to validate and generalize the findings. This research supports the development of standardized tablet designs that can minimize dispensing errors and ensure patient safety, highlighting the importance of effective tablet printing design in pharmaceutical practice.

Objective: Of the total number of prescriptions received, the percentage of refill prescriptions in May-June 2022 was 0.053%. In order to speculate on the reasons for the low utilization rate of the refill system and future developments, we surveyed patients who have been receiving continuous drug treatment for more than 6 months to determine their attitudes toward the refill system.Methods: The survey was conducted on the Web and valid responses were obtained from 290 respondents.Results: The respondents were 44.8% male and 55.2% female, with a mean age of 45.6 ± 10.5 years. Respondents' diseases included hypertension (32.1%), dyslipidemia (15.9%), diabetes (15.2%), psychiatric diseases (10.0%), skin diseases (9.3%), and others. Of the respondents, 83.4% had no prescription change within 6 months, and 69.0% had access to treatment medications for the purpose of going to the hospital, indicating that their symptoms were stable and they could use the refill system. In addition, we found that only 17.2% were aware of the refill system. However, 73.4% of respondents indicated their intention to use the refill system in the future. Therefore, our results strongly suggest that the reason for the lack of its use is due to a lack of awareness of it.Conclusion: It is expected that the refill system will be promoted in the future through awareness-raising events and education of the public. It is thought that the use of the refill system may cause delays in the detection of adverse drug reactions and the overlooking of worsening health conditions. The issue is whether pharmacists can appropriately judge whether or not to continue refill prescriptions.

Objective: The Immunization Health Damage Relief Program was established to provide "prompt and wide-ranging" relief for health damage caused by routine vaccination.Methods: In this study, utilizing the report of the Subcommittee on Infectious Diseases and Immunization, we investigated the relief status of persons who received the new coronavirus vaccine. The study period was three years, from 2021 to 2023, and the number of cases accepted, the number of certifications, the number of denials, and the number of delays were analyzed.Results: Most of the claims were for medical expenses and medical benefits, and the remaining claims were for lump-sum death benefits and funeral expenses. The approval rate was 84.9%, and the denial rate was 14.1%. The scrutiny rate was less than 30% since July 2022, but with the establishment of a new study group on January 2023, the rate rose to approximately 70%. Initially, none of the lump-sum death payments were approved, but later the approval rate increased, and there was a period when almost all the lump-sum death payments were approved.Conclusions: The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) is responding as quickly as possible to the increasing number of applications, but the number of health relief applications is unprecedented in the history of vaccines. For the victims and their families, the situation does not appear to be satisfactory.

Objective: This study evaluates the potential for automated data linkages between survey items collected during Japanese postmarketing surveillance (PMS) of pharmaceuticals and the medical health data stored in hospital information systems (HIS) by automatically relating the PMS survey items to the structured data (SD) in HIS. This relationship has not been explored previously; therefore, our findings offer fundamental insights for exploring automated data linkages between PMS survey items and medical health data. Methods: The PMS survey items from 107 case report forms (CRFs) currently used at Kagawa University Hospital as of April 1, 2022, were analyzed. The survey items were categorized into major and detailed items based on the CRF units, and the frequency of occurrence for each detailed item was calculated. We considered the SD used in MID-NET®, which is a Japanese national medical information database, as being analogous to the SD used in HIS and determined whether each detailed item had a one-to-one relationship with the SD in HIS. Results: Twelve major items were identified, including a total of 83 detailed items. Among them, 25 items (30%) showed a one-to-one simple relationship with SD in HIS, while 28 items (33%) did not show a relationship. The remaining 30 items (37%) did not show any correspondence to the SD in HIS. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that approximately 60% of the detailed survey items could be collected from SD. However, a physician’s medical judgment was needed for approximately half of the items. These findings will contribute to the realization of automated data linkages between the PMS survey items and the medical health data in HIS, thereby improving the efficiency of information acquisition required for PMS of pharmaceuticals.

Objective: Therapeutic antibodies have few varieties of side effects due to their high specificity; however, many therapeutic antibodies have serious side effects. A thorough understanding of the side effects is crucial for early recognition and optimal management. To facilitate the understanding of the side effects of therapeutic antibodies, this study attempted to classify therapeutic antibodies based on their side effects using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. Method: We collected data on the serious side effects of therapeutic antibodies from package inserts and created a therapeutic antibody-side effect matrix, with therapeutic antibodies as indices and side effects as columns. PCA was performed on the therapeutic antibody-side effect matrix, and hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using principal components. Results: The therapeutic antibodies were classified into four clusters. Cluster 1 included immune checkpoint inhibitors, and featured type 1 diabetes, thyroid disorder, and myasthenia gravis. Cluster 2 included antibodies that inhibit the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway, and featured impaired wound healing, nephrotic syndrome, and thrombosis. Cluster 3 included anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibodies, and featured diarrhea, hypomagnesemia, and skin disorders. Cluster 4 included other therapeutic antibodies, and featured infection, bone marrow suppression, and hypersensitivity. Conclusion: Therapeutic antibodies can be classified based on their side effects. The results of this study make it easier to understand the side effects of therapeutic antibodies with complex profiles. A better understanding facilitates early detection of side effects and enables high-quality management of side effects.

Objective: To determine the extent of pharmacists’ burden of inquiries from healthcare professionals in community pharmacies. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: A web-based survey was administered to pharmacists affiliated with Medical System Network Group, Inc.’s community pharmacies in Japan. The survey was conducted from February 15 to March 31, 2022. The primary outcome was the burden of inquiries from healthcare professionals and the secondary outcome was the level of burden by job category. Healthcare professionals were defined as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, administrators, care managers, and nursing home staff. To assess the degree of burden, participants were asked “Do you feel burdened by inquiries from health care professionals ? ” and their response was rated on a 5-point Likert scale (not at all, slightly, a little, a lot, and very much). The responses “a lot” and “very much” were combined and defined as “burdened.” To identify the causes of burden, factors of burden and inquiries were investigated. Results: Totally, 1,667 participants were recruited, of which 915 (54.9%) were included in the analysis (women: 62.6%). The participants had a median age of 38 years (interquartile range 31, 48), and worked as pharmacists for 12 years (interquartile range 5, 20). Nearly 13.5% of the respondents felt burdened by inquiries from healthcare professionals and 34.7% reported that physician inquiries were burdensome. The most common reason for feeling burdened was a lack of knowledge about the inquiries (77.3%). Conclusion: It was found that 13.5% of respondents felt burdened when dealing with inquiries from healthcare professionals to pharmacists. In particular, a high percentage of respondents felt burdened by inquiries from physicians. Further research is needed to clarify whether the introduction of a tool that matches the results of this study will reduce the burden of responding to inquiries.

Background: Imprinting tablet bodies is an essential element for the safe use of pharmaceuticals. It has been observed that reports on tablet imprint design that incorporate pharmacists’ perspectives are scarce. Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide a better understanding of the concept of universal design in tablet body identification and differentiation, specifically in two scenarios: normal handling of tablets and encountering tablets with similar appearances. Methods: A survey was conducted among pharmacists registered with the Yamaguchi Prefecture Pharmaceutical Association to collect data on optimal tablet imprint designs from a dispensing perspective. Results: Analysis of the survey results indicated that: 1. In normal use of tablets, a simple design with “horizontal Kana notation without emphasis on one character” was most preferred. 2. In cases where tablets were similar in appearance, designs such as “horizontal Kana notation with an underline on one character” and “horizontal Kana notation with emphasis on one character” were preferred. Conclusions: The study may indicate that certain tablet imprint designs may enhance the ability to differentiate and recognize pharmaceuticals, particularly in cases where tablets have similar appearances. To aid in distinguishing tablets with similar appearances, it is suggested that the design should incorporate ‘horizontal Kana notation’ and give emphasis to one character. This design has been shown to result in a clear improvement in identification. It is recommended that tablet imprint designs prioritize high readability for pharmacists and provide appropriate pharmaceutical information. When considering similarity with other tablets, it may be advisable to use ‘emphasis on one character’ as a universal design for differentiating and identifying tablet bodies.

Objective: Research and development for drug discovery is time-consuming and expensive. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as machine learning are attracting the attention of researchers as tools for efficiently advancing drug discovery. However, the use of AI technology requires a high amount of data, and the scope of application and accuracy of prediction depend on data quality. Therefore, the development of technology for efficiently collecting drug information data is required. The present examined an interactive AI system for extracting absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) data from clinical practice documents. Methods: Attachments for five drugs were collected from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) for properties influencing pharmacokinetics, including dosage, maximum concentration (Cmax), half-life (T1/2), time to peak drug concentration (Tmax), area under the curve (AUC), and clearance (CL). Data were collected directly from PDFs using ChatGPT Plus, SciSpace, and ChatPDF as interactive AI systems capable of performing this task, and variations in these properties were compared. In addition, we compared the variations in the prompting outputs. Results: ChatGPT Plus was able to retrieve some pharmacokinetic properties including the values in the tables, whereas SciSpace and ChatPDF were unable to retrieve pharmacokinetic information. In addition, the ChatGPT Plus output changed depending on the prompt, whereas the results obtained using SciSpace and ChatPDF did not change significantly based on the prompt. Therefore, ChatGPT Plus was the most appropriate system for collecting ADME data. Conclusion: Based on the results of collection of ADME characteristics from documents using the three interactive AI systems, ChatGPT Plus is the most effective method for obtaining the desired characteristics, although several issues need to be addressed. Interactive AI will be an indispensable technology for data collection in drug research, and could contribute significantly to drug discovery in the future.