Pharmacists’ Behavioral Changes after Attending a Multi-Prefectural Palliative Care Education Program
Masahiro Yamada,
Mayako Uchida,
Masao Hada,
Haruka Wakabayashi,
Daigo Inma,
Shunji Ariyoshi,
Hidetoshi Kamimura,
Tohru Haraguchi
Affiliations
Masahiro Yamada
Department of Pharmacy, Kitakyushu Municipal Medical Center, 2-1-1, Bashaku, Kokurakita, Kitakyushu 802-0077, Japan
Mayako Uchida
Department of Education and Research Center for Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, Kyotanabe 610-0395, Japan
Masao Hada
Department of Pharmacy, Japan Community Health care Organization Nankai Medical Center, 7-8, Tokiwanishimachi, Saiki 876-0857, Japan
Haruka Wakabayashi
Department of Education and Research Center for Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, Kyotanabe 610-0395, Japan
Daigo Inma
A Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Fukuoka Pharmaceutical Association, 2-20-15, Sumiyoshi, Hakata, Fukuoka 812-0018, Japan
Shunji Ariyoshi
A Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Fukuoka Pharmaceutical Association, 2-20-15, Sumiyoshi, Hakata, Fukuoka 812-0018, Japan
Hidetoshi Kamimura
A Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Fukuoka Pharmaceutical Association, 2-20-15, Sumiyoshi, Hakata, Fukuoka 812-0018, Japan
Tohru Haraguchi
A Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Fukuoka Pharmaceutical Association, 2-20-15, Sumiyoshi, Hakata, Fukuoka 812-0018, Japan
Central to the pharmacist’s role in palliative care is symptom management through direct participation in patient care and the provision of optimal pharmacotherapy to support patient outcomes. Consequently, palliative care requires extensive knowledge and action for patients with cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate how pharmacists’ behavior changed after attending a palliative care educational program. We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey examining the behavior of pharmacists regarding palliative care before participating in the program, two months after participating in the program, and eight months after participating in the program to determine their behavior and changes over time. For all questions, scores were higher at two and eight months after attending the program than before attending the program (p p = 0.504–1.000). The knowledge gained from the educational program was used to repeatedly intervene with patients with cancer in order to address the various symptoms they experienced and maintain their behavior. The proven effectiveness of this program serves as a stepping stone for nationwide rollout across Japan’s 47 prefectures.
