RESUMO
Separation of medical and dispensary services has taken root in Japan as a healthcare system;8 00 million prescriptions have been issued, and 70% of medical institutions now participate in this practice. Additionally, discussions are ongoing regarding patient-oriented family pharmacies from a"back-to-basics"perspective of the separation drug dispensing from medical practice. Through a series of such discussions, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published a paper entitled"Vision for Pharmacies Working for Patients"with a focus on 3 functions to be implemented by family pharmacists and pharmacies. In home healthcare, there have been cases so far, as shown in the Vision paper, of suggestions from and initiatives taken by pharmacists that have helped improve patient home care services. This paper explores home care-related initiatives undertaken by our pharmacy, including 2 cases in which our pharmacists intervened to prevent duplicate prescriptions and promoted adherence to a medication regimen, having noticed a change in a patient's physical abilities caused by the presence of drug residues. Our pharmacists will inform other relevant professionals about this issue. The study discusses our experience, which may help provide insight on the ideal roles of pharmacists in this time of partnerships among professionals.