title: [Primary care enlightenment to local inhabitants--cooperation of medical institution and community pharmacy in treatment of chronic hepatitis C].
abstract: Community pharmacy is evolving to provide additional services to patients such as compliance improvement, self-care and OTC consultations and advising on daily activities to supplement medical treatment. Currently in Japan, it has been estimated that 1.5 to 2 million people have chronic hepatitis C. We have attempted to increase the population's knowledge of this important issue with educational brochures about hepatitis C and placing posters encouraging them to ask medical professionals about their health problems. Peg-interferon and ribavirin combination therapy has an efficacy rate of approximately 60%. The side effects might present in different ways and frequency depending on the treatment duration; therefore, pharmacists should monitor patients carefully during the entire treatment period with particular attention to OTC drug use, daily activity, etc. Additionally, for outpatients community pharmacy has responsibility to avoid drug-related adverse events in the patients' daily life, so monitoring for clinical signs of side effects is necessary. We created the "Clinical Pathway for Healthcare Network of Chronic Hepatitis C Treatment via the Medication Notebook Type" (Clinical Pathway) for patients who received Peg-interferon and ribavirin combination therapy. We are beginning to provide the new version of this service to patients as one of the pharmaceutical care components in the community pharmacy. I would like to describe how we cooperate with other community pharmacies using the "Clinical Pathway", which is to improve patient care in the community pharmacies.
authors.affiliation: Bohsei Pharmacy, Kanagawa, Japan. t.iizuka@bohseipharmacy.com
authors.forename: Toshimi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.forename: Yuzo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Eguchi
authors.forename: Tomohide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akase
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishizuka
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshiyama
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019058:Community Networks; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000639:trends*; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000639:trends*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007564:Japan; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D010594:Pharmacies; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000639:trends*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a