[Development and evaluation of an individuals-oriented information-provision system for outpatients--utility of "drug Usage sheets" and "Drug Information Cards" for patient consultation].
We have implemented an information-provision system for outpatients at the department of pharmacy, University of Tokyo Hospital, in order to comply with the revised Pharmacists' Law by which pharmacists have been obliged to provide patients with information necessary for rational usage of medicine at the time they receive dispensed drugs. This system is linked on-line with the order entry system to print "Drug Usage Sheets" containing important drug information such as therapeutic effects and adverse reactions, as well as photographic color views of drugs. We prepared the sheets by extracting and classifying the original information, and by converting medical terms into lay expressions. Moreover, we developed "Drug Information Cards" to inform each patient of severe side effects and drug interactions, which should affect drug compliance, and implemented an individuals-oriented information system using both the "Drug Usage Sheets" and "Drug Information Cards." In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of this system from the viewpoint of patients' recognition and understanding on necessary drug information. It was indicated from questionnaires to patients that the "Drug Usage Sheets" help most patients understand the names, usage, effects, and general cautions including slight adverse reactions (i.e. grade 1), and that the use of colored letters for important parts and pictograms is a useful method to attract more attention from patients as compared with a conventional method using only letters. Most patients answered that the "Drug Usage Sheets" can be utilized in many ways and valuable in taking drugs with assurance. We formulated the "Drug Information Cards" by information processing: separation of early symptoms of adverse effects into subjective and objective ones and their classification into related organs. Moreover, the brand names of drugs which may cause drug interactions have been listed on the cards so that worsening of adverse reactions and drug interactions can be avoided. Although 14% of the patients answered that they became unsecured when informed on side effects, the percentage of such patients was significantly higher with those who received caution-required drugs for the first time or who have experienced drug side effects before, suggesting the need for combining oral explanation based on each patient's background and understanding on drug adverse effects. In conclusion, an efficient provision of drug information became possible through our integration of necessary drug information in this study, and the individuals-oriented system of drug information was established, which was demonstrated to contribute to the rational usage of medicine.
Seino
T
T
Department of Pharmacy, University of Tokyo Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Sakuragi
F
F
Fujita
M
M
Irizuki
N
N
Tsubaki
A
A
Ogata
A
A
Yamada
Y
Y
Nakamura
H
H
Sato
H
H
Iga
T
T
D004346:Drug Information Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires