• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권9호
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• pp.4427-4430
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• 2012

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women in Malaysia. Despite the campaigns undertaken to raise the awareness of the public regarding breast cancer, breast cancer screening rates are still low in the country. The community pharmacist, as one of the most accessible healthcare practitioners, could play a role in the provision of breast cancer health promotion services to the community. However, there are no documented data regarding the community pharmacists' involvement in breast cancer related health promotion activities. Hence, this study was conducted to examine self-reported knowledge, practice and perception of community pharmacists on provision of breast cancer health promotion services and to investigate the barriers that limit their involvement. This cross-sectional survey conducted between May to September 2010, included a sample of 35 community pharmacists working in the districts of Hulu Langat and Sepang in state of Selangor. A 22-item validated questionnaire that included both closed and Lickert scale questions was used to interview those pharmacists who gave their informed consent to participate in the study. The data was analysed using SPSS. Only 11.3% of the community pharmacists answered all the questions on the knowledge section correctly. The mean overall knowledge of the community pharmacists on risk factors of breast cancer and screening recommendations is 56%. None of the respondents was currently involved in breast cancer health promotion activities. Lack of time (80%), lack of breast cancer educational materials (77.1%) and lack of training (62.9%) were the top three mentioned barriers. Despite these barriers, 94.3% (33) of the community pharmacists agreed that they should be involved in breast cancer health promotion activities. Hence, there is need to equip community pharmacists with necessary training and knowledge to enable them to contribute their share towards prevention and screening of breast cancer.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.104-115
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• 2013

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of dietary supplement (DS) use, investigate the related factors associated with DS use among preschoolers and support the adequate nutrition. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey of mothers of children aged between 1 and 6 years who visited pediatric clinics in 3 Korean cities (Jeonju, Suncheon, Jeongeup) between October and November 2012 at Presbyterian Medical Center. The responses from 929 questionnaires were analyzed. Results: Approximately 45.1% of the preschoolers used DS in the past month. The following factors were associated with greater use of DS: older age (p<0.001), whether or not the preschoolers attended kindergarten (p<0.001), higher mother's concern about the nutritional facts (p<0.001), whether or not the mother use DS (p<0.001), whether or not the mother counsel with a doctor or pharmacist about DS use (p<0.001). Vitamin mineral supplements (77.5%) were the most commonly used DS among the preschoolers, followed by ginseng (49.3%) and probiotics (25.6%). Additionally, of the DS users, 95.9% gave DS to their healthy children. Of the users and non-users, 97.6% and 62.2%, respectively, indicated that they would like to have their children take DS. The information on DS was obtained from family or friends in 48.2% of the DS users and from doctors in only 6.1%. Conclusion: Approximately half of the preschoolers in our study used DS, which might not have been medically indicated for most of them. Therefore, the role of professionals in counseling on desirable diet behaviors and DS use for preschoolers is warranted.

• 약학회지
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• 제53권1호
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• pp.25-33
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• 2009

Metabolic syndrome is increasing nowadays and one of causes is obesity. Therefore prevention and treatment of obesity is very important to decrease of Metabolic syndrome. However currently many pharmacotherapy for obesity are popular in Korea and it may be dangerous. The aim of this study is to evaluate the purpose and relevance of obese treatment in two areas (capital & local) of Korea and suggest to guide for the right directions of pharmacotherapy in obesity treatment. We selected and surveyed 90 patients (88 females, 2 males, age of $23{\sim}60$) at random who received a prescription after consulting with a doctor at several clinics of Cheongju-area and Seoul-area, from May thru June, 2007. And we evaluated their prescriptions. In results, only 26.7% were obese (13.3%, 2325), most 73.3% patients were normal (65.6%, 18.5$m^2$). The purpose of treatment was for appearance (38.9%), health (41.1%) or both (18.9%, p<0.01). 94% patients had the past history of obese treatment. Prescriptions were consisted of CNS stimulant, anticonvulsants, antidepressant, laxatives, diuretics, or antianxietics. Obese treatment is very important for health to prevent disease such as Metabolic Syndrome. However it should not be abused. In conclusion, some patients of obese treatment is not relevant to obesity and pharmacist role is important to guide them for the right directions in obesity treatment.

• 한국병원경영학회지
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.121-148
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• 2003

This study is designed to evaluate the contents of the separation of prescribing and dispensing roles(SPD) policy based on the theoretical backgrounds. The results are as follows; Considering the purpose of SPD policy, 'increasing the efficiency in manpower management by separating the role of medical doctor and pharmacist and improving the quality of SPD service through specialization of function' as a policy objective is valid and very important agenda in health care. But the objectives are not working well by no keeping the detail means to actualize it. Also, some policy objectives are unclear or inappropriate and it makes the focus of that policy obscure or misleads inadequate policy alternatives. In terms of means of policy, it is evaluated to have some limits in effectiveness, efficiency, equity, rationality, technical feasibility, economic feasibility, administrative feasibility, social and time feasibility. In conclusion, it's necessary to investigate the some problem mentioned in this paper with empirical evidence. Also, it should be needed to improve the validity of policy by correcting policy objectives and means in execution of policy.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.230-237
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• 2016

Background: Since the use of opioid analgesics is frequent in operation rooms (OR), the risk of medication error is high; however the use of medication in the OR has been operating independently with the hospital pharmacy. Therefore, the assessment on management of medication use in operation and the pharmacist's role is needed. Methods: We conducted the literature review and survey from anesthesiologists, operating nurses at Chung-Ang Hospital on management of medication for operation use, awareness on need for medication management efficiency, need for satellite pharmacy in the operating room and its effect. Results: 56% of medical staffs responded that management of medication in the operating room is efficient; however, 82.6% responded that they felt the inconvenience in medication delivery to the OR when additional prescription was ordered. 51.5% also responded that extra time was required for management of narcotics and inventory/record keeping. 80% agreed that there could be lost costs due to prescription missed. Medical staffs responded improving the drug management system could increase the OR efficiency (87%), and eventually bring the increase in hospital revenue (80.4%). Those who responded that implementation of OR satellite pharmacy was needed include physicians (84.6%), nurses (63.6%), and also responded that it'd bring more profit to the hospital by increasing the efficiency in OR (60.9%). Conclusion: For efficient management of medications, implementation of OR satellite pharmacy would lead to improved drug management and increased efficiency in OR and reduced cost and improved patient care.

• 약학회지
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• 제58권2호
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• pp.91-98
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• 2014

Pharmacists must be aware of veterinary drugs to prevent abuse and misuse of the drugs, and to ensure the safety of livestock under the veterinarian prescription system. In this study, the awareness of animal pharmacies was surveyed in order to find out the role of animal pharmacies and the necessity of veterinary drug education for pharmacists. Surveys were conducted by 187 animal owners and 115 community pharmacists. 80% of the animal owners had purchased drugs for their animals. 63% of respondents were not aware of the existence of animal pharmacies. The best selling drug class for animals was antiparasitic. The most common drug that respondents wanted to buy in animal pharmacies was also antiparasitic. About 80% of respondents answered affirmatively on the question of whether they would buy the drugs from animal pharmacies regardless of the location of the pharmacies. Most community pharmacists were aware of the existence of animal pharmacies. 70% of pharmacists had considered trading in veterinary drugs. 41% of respondents answered that they did not trade in them because they were not familiar with veterinary drugs. 80% of respondents answered that what they needed most was education in order to increase the number of animal pharmacies. Pharmacies for animal will expand the choice of animal owners, and enable pharmacists to improve their specialty as well as to diversify the pharmacy services. To achieve this, promotion of animal pharmacies and education about veterinary drugs for pharmacists would be needed in regular education system.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.197-205
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• 2013

Background: Many factors including drugs, dietary supplements, and food intake can affect the development and organ formation of fetuses. Because of this, subject tends to avoid consuming things like coffee, alcohol, or cigarettes due to the risks they pose during pregnancy. Therefore, analysis of drugs and favorite food consumption is needed and important to ensure safe health management for subject. Purpose: This study was conducted domestically to analyze these factors in South Korea. Method: The survey was conducted from pregnancy-related online communities for six days and the survey results were received via email for analysis. Result: A total of 127 subjects answered the questionnaire via email; the characteristics of subjects are widely varied in their ages, education levels, job statuses, and residences. The questionnaire included the intake of dietary supplements during pregnancy including vitamins and the result showed that the subjects took 2.23 different kinds of supplements on average. In order of highest frequency, 101 subjects took multivitamins; 79 subjects took an iron supplement; 30 subjects took analgesics; 20 subjects took prescribed antipyretic and medication for upper respiratory diseases; 12 subjects took antibiotics; 7 subjects took antiemetics. Their compliances were different in each medication categories. Only 8% of subjects answered that they had asked a pharmacist for medication information during pregnancy. In addition, 78% of subjects answered that they never counseled with anyone about pregnancy related medication use. Conclusion: In conclusion, many subjects took medication including dietary supplements. The role of pharmacists should be actively developed to improve subject care such as education about subject's medication uses and their food consumption behavior.

• 약학회지
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• 제58권3호
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• pp.208-222
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• 2014

Pharmacy practice experiences play a central role in improving the professional abilities and roles of student pharmacists in the changed '2+4'-year curricula of Korean pharmacy schools. For the first 3 years, the students usually learn theoretical areas, and for the last year, they apply learned knowledge to actual pharmacy practice environments. Especially, in order for community pharmacy practice experiences to become firmly established, it is important to evaluate students' feedbacks of community pharmacy practice experiences. However, there have been little studies regarding this area in Korea. This study was to analyze pharmacy students' perceptions and evaluations after community pharmacy practice experiences. The self-reported questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale was utilized to collect data from the pharmacy students completing community pharmacy practice experiences. Total 62 students responded to the survey questionnaires. The average of students' evaluations of preceptors for overall evaluation items was 4.31 whereas that of student evaluations of practice sites for them was 4.03. The self-evaluations of students' expertises were mostly positive except for that of populations care. The evaluation item 'I believe this experience will help me be a better pharmacist' received the highest satisfaction. According to the results regarding open-ended questions, the students learned the needs for academic motivations and self-developments, and they thought that the curriculum should be standardized and systematized in order to improve contents for community pharmacy practice experiences. Furthermore, based on these results, the guidelines of community pharmacy practice experiences should be modified, and researches on the validation and evaluations of the modified guidelines should be implemented.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.238-245
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• 2015

Background: Pharmacy schools newly adopted a 6-year program strengthening clinical knowledge since 2011 in Korea. The clinical training under the guidance of preceptors at hospital sites is a requisite for pharmacy students during the last year of undergraduate course. It has been rarely studied on the hospital pharmacists' perspective regarding being a preceptor or teaching pharmacy students. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the hospital pharmacists' intention toward student training and to identify the relevant factors among the individual pharmacists' characteristics and working environment within the theoretical frame of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Method: A mail-survey was conducted for pharmacists working in tertiary hospitals in Seoul and Incheon. The survey questionnaire consisting of 131 questions with a 5-likert scale was developed for investigating pharmacists' attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and the intention to teach pharmacy students as well as other demographic variables. To estimate the construct validity of components, factor analysis was conducted and Cronbach's alpha was calculated to estimate the reliability of the observed variables. Statistical analyses of one-way variance analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed using SPSS 18.0. Results: The survey response rate was 53% (116/210) and the three constructs of attitude (r = .519), subjective norm (r = .233) and perceived control (r = .392) have appropriate correlations with the intention, proving the appropriateness of using the TPB model. Pharmacists working in inpatient (mean = 3.45) and outpatient clinics (mean = 3.34) generally showed positive intention for teaching. The attitude (${\beta}=.432$, p < 0.01) and perceived control (${\beta}=.270$, p < .01) constructs were significant predictors of the intention. Both age (r = 0.246, p = 0.017) and length of career (r = 0.310, p = 0.002) were positively related with the perceived control. Conclusion: Hospital pharmacists showed generally positive intention to provide student training in spite of the concern on their limited perceived behavioral control. Future research to find the actual barriers pharmacists faced in educating students need to be conducted.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.30-40
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• 2012

In Korea, elderly population aged 65 and older are about 5.0% and 10.7% in 1990 and 2009, respectively. Since elderly people may experience physiologic changes with aging and their pharmacodynamic and pharmcokinetic parameters also have been undergone changes, several adverse drug reactions can occur more frequently than young people. Especially, neuropsychiatric adverse drug reactions such as delirium and drowsiness endanger elderly patients more. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outpatient prescriptions using drug causing delirium and drowsiness in elderly patients aged 65 and older. We retrospectively reviewed prescriptions for elderly patients collected from four community pharmacies from January 2nd to February 1st, 2010. One pharmacy was located closed to a general hospital, and others were located closed to a internal medicine or an ENT clinic. The each number of the collected prescriptions was followings; Group A (n=496) from internal medicine department of a general hospital; Group B (n=44) from ENT department of general hospital; Group C (n=144) from internal medicine clinic; Group D (n=110) from ENT clinic. In result, in Group A, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.38 In Group B, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.09 In Group C, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.51. In Group D, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.72. Especially, in Group D, the percentage of prescription that drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx prescribed more than 3 is 52.73% In all the 4 groups, over the 60% of drugs causing delirium and/or drowsiness per prescription of elderly patients were prescribed. It means elderly patients take 2 drugs causing delirium and/or drowsiness among 3 drugs, which is very serious. Frequently prescribed drugs causing delirium and/or drowsiness were followings; GI agents, antitussives & expectorants, histamine H1 antagonist, analgesics, antibiotics. Among these drugs, GI agents was high raking in all the 4 groups, and pharmacists should caution elderly patients when counseling. In the internal medicine groups (Group A,C), drugs concerning chronic diseases were prescribed frequently. In conclusion, pharmacist's role is important. Pharmacists are well informed of the drugs causing delirium or drowsiness and it is important to explain about ADRs slowly and easily to the elderly patients that receive drugs causing delirium or drowsiness. And institutional device is needed. For example, when doctors prescribe drugs for the elderly patients, message is needed that supply some informations about drugs causing delirium or drowsiness.