Exploring Factors Affecting Patients’ Perceptions of the Interpersonal Work of Pharmacy Pharmacists / 社会薬学

In order for pharmacists to be collaboratively involved with patients in pharmacotherapy, there is a need to improve patients’ understanding of pharmacists’ involvement in extended pharmacotherapy, i.e., their interpersonal work. This study explores the factors that affect patients’ perceptions of pharmacists’ interpersonal work. A survey on patients’ perceptions of pharmacists’ interpersonal work was conducted among 450 patients aged 20 years or older who visited a pharmacy. Logistic regression analysis was performed with low and high patient perceptions of pharmacists’ interpersonal work as the objective variables. Valid responses were obtained from 350 participants. More than half of the respondents did not understand the nature of the interpersonal work of pharmacists. Patients who were unaware of pharmacists checking for side effects were more prevalent than those who were unaware of other interpersonal work. Explanations from the family pharmacist (OR＝2.25, P＝0.033) and trust in the pharmacist (OR＝1.11, P＝0.001) had a positive influence on patients’ perceptions of the pharmacist’s interpersonal tasks. As pharmacy pharmacists are increasingly becoming more involved with patients’ drug treatment and to ensure safe drug treatment practices for patients, it is considered important for pharmacists to actively explain their involvement in drug treatment to patients. This will be conducive to building trusting relationships, and for pharmacists to fulfil their function as family pharmacists.

The Understanding of “Group Home” in Pharmacy Students, and the Impact of Test-linked Video Lectures: A Survey / 社会薬学

To acquire “practical abilities in community health and medical care”, it is necessary to understand the work tasks in the context of welfare and working care facilities and smoothly promote inter-professional work. It is considered that the time when pharmacy students fully understand the outline of “group home”, which is one of the working care facilities, is during the class or practical training period. Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey in the context of 4-6th grade students. In addition, to improve the knowledge of students with insufficient comprehension, video lectures were created; comprehension was evaluated in both pre-post-tests. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the video lecture was evaluated based on the analysis of the students’ understanding. The most common cognitive methods and periods for both 4th and 6th graders were “friends/family” and “before entering university”, respectively. As a result of the pre-test, the correct answer rate of each item and the total average score （50.0% and less than 50.0 points, respectively） suggested a low level of understanding regardless of the grade. On the other hand, the correct answer rate of each item and the total average score （70.0% and 70.0 points or more, respectively） in the post-test showed a high degree of understanding; further, they were significantly increased compared to those with respect to the pre-test, indicating the effectiveness of the video lecture. From the above results, we devised a test-linked video lecture that can be used as an effective tool for the understanding of the outline of “group home”.