Changes in Attitudes to Medical Care among Pharmacy Pharmacists before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Questionnaire Survey

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a major negative effect on the number of patients visiting pharmacies in Japan. The decrease in pharmacy visits during the pandemic compared with the pre-pandemic period may have increased the likelihood of adverse health outcomes; thus, it is important that pharmacy pharmacists take measures to prevent health disadvantages. In this study, we distributed a questionnaire survey to 104 pharmacy pharmacists (mainly in Kagoshima and Kumamoto Prefectures), and investigated changes in the extent of implementation and perceptions of measures considered necessary to protect patients' health between the pre-pandemic and pandemic period. The results showed that the proportions of respondents" sharing patient information between primary care doctors and pharmacy pharmacists" and conducting" follow-up after prescribing medications mainly via telephone" increased between the pre-pandemic period and September 2022. The perceived necessity of the above two measures, as well as" online medication instructions" and"a prescription refill system," increased during the same period. However, the proportion of respondents who perceived" 0410 correspondence," which was introduced during the pandemic, as a necessity did not change. Moreover, many pharmacists indicated that, at their own discretion, they continued to correspond with patients in relation to the above, and to respond to specific requests during normal daily practice. Our results could help community-based pharmacists tackle serious public health problems, such as COVID-19.