Verification of the Status of Issuance of Discharge Information Documents and Use of ‘Okusuritecho’ as Medication Handbook in Community Pharmacies

Abstract

The activities of community pharmacies include collecting and sharing information about patients' hospitalization histories by checking medication registers, interviewing patients and their families, and providing information from other medical institutions. In 2020, an additional fee was established to provide pharmacies with information in a document form at the time of discharge from the hospital. This study aimed to verify the use of discharge information documents and medication handbooks as medication support for patients visiting community pharmacies after discharge from the hospital. We conducted this study on 97 patients who visited a community pharmacy after discharge from a community hospital between January 2021 and September 2021. In this survey, 17 (17/97) discharge drug information forms were obtained from patients. Surprisingly, 13 of the 17 patients were included in the Medication Book. In addition, information on hospitalization history was obtained from 82 patients and their families. Eleven patients (11/97, 11.3%) were subject to prescription inquiries. Thus, the discharge information documents were not widely used, and the information obtained from patient interviews and medication handbooks was utilized primarily for medication counselling at community pharmacies.