Clinical Research in Communities and the Importance of Patient Information

In collaboration with community pharmacists, we have conducted research including drug utilization reviews since 2009 and patient registry and long-term follow-up since 2013. The results of these projects have influenced the establishment of healthcare policies and pharmacists' roles. Moreover, the number of clinical studies using electronic medical records by hospital pharmacists has increased. Findings from real-world clinical practice provide useful evidence to improve the quality of patient care provided by clinical pharmacists. When comparing research between community and hospital pharmacists, differences are observed in the efficiency of using patients' information. In hospitals, patients' medical records are important for sharing information among healthcare providers. However, in communities, the importance of maintaining patients' information tends to follow dispensing medications and counseling. This practice results in a lack of data for clinical research. Studies in community pharmacies would deepen our understanding of the needs for patient records and improve the quality of patient care.