title: [System for dispensing medicines in home medical care-pharmacy's function as medical care facility-].
abstract: The continually increasing pace of the graying of Japan's population has brought us tremendous changes in the function of pharmacy and role of the pharmacist responsible for medical treatment for regional populations. In 1994, the then-Ministry of Health and Welfare suggested a maturity model for dispensing pharmacies, announcing that pharmacies at the 4th level of maturity should participate in the home medical care system. This participation of pharmacies in the home medical care system involved a separation of the prescribing and dispensing of drugs and clinics have been separated, and pharmacy now furnishing medicines. With the separation of prescribing and dispensing, the total number of prescriptions filled by pharmacists exceeds 700 million prescriptions, over 60%of the total number of legal prescriptions, firmly established this system in society. However, problems still remain in regard to the system for dispensing injectable medicines and responding to demand for pediatric prescriptions. This report discusses issues related to the system for furnishing medicines as the home medical care system advances.
authors.affiliation: Showa Pharmaceutical University.
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kushida
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ebihara
authors.forename: Takeya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiraishi
mesh_terms: D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team