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 wi th the revised Pharmacists' Law by which pharmacists have been obliged to p rovide patients with information necessary for rational usage of medicine a t the time they receive dispensed drugs. This system is linked on-line with the order entry system to print "Drug Usage Sheets" containing important d rug 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 i nto lay expressions. Moreover, we developed "Drug Information Cards" to inf orm each patient of severe side effects and drug interactions, which should affect drug compliance, and implemented an individuals-oriented informatio n system using both the ''Drug Usage Sheets'' and ''Drug Information Cards. '' In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of this system from the viewp oint of patients' recognition and understanding on necessary drug informati on. It was indicated from questionnaires to patients that the "Drug Usage S heets" 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 metho d to attract more attention from patients as compared with a conventional m ethod using only letters. Most patients answered that the "Drug Usage Sheet s" can be utilized in many ways and valuable in taking drugs with assurance . We formulated the "Drug Information Cards" by information processing: sep aration of early symptoms of adverse effects into subjective and objective ones and their classification into related organs. Moreover, the brand name s 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 inf ormed on side effects, the percentage of such patients was significantly hi gher with those who received caution-required drugs for the first time or w ho have experienced drug side effects before, suggesting the need for combi ning oral explanation based on each patient's background and understanding on drug adverse effects. In conclusion, an efficient provision of drug info rmation became possible through our integration of necessary drug informati on in this study, and the individuals-oriented system of drug information w as established, which was demonstrated to contribute to the rational usage of medicine.