Useful information

What is a family pharmacy?

2018/03/01

Out of the blue. Question: Have you heard of the “family pharmacy”?
First, the term “family pharmacy” itself may not be familiar to you.

However, we know of the term “family doctor”.
A family doctor is a doctor who you go to when you first get sick.
It’s the most familiar physician who can easily see you about anything for daily health care, and assign you to specialized medical institutions if necessary.
With the family doctor who knows your “usual condition”, it’s easy to ask what you want to know such as “Is it better to go to a professional hospital”, right?
Also, don’t you feel reassured to receive advice from the doctor who knows your regular self?

What is your family pharmacy / pharmacist?

Well, you may already know that the family pharmacy is “a pharmacy version of a family doctor.”

In the previous survey, there was a revision of medical treatment fees in 2016 (medical fee revision will be done once every two years):
“Consultation fee as family pharmacist” (70 points per application)
“Pharmacist comprehensive management fee” (270 points per application)
We had two new evaluations.

These scores are based on evaluation for giving advice to each person by a specific pharmacist (a family pharmacist) who is chosen by the patient for comprehensively understanding the information on prescription drugs, OTC medicines, and supplements which the patient is taking, and checking how the combination of medicine is working, side effects, surplus medicine, and giving advice.

Why do you need a family pharmacist?

In fact, in order to designate this person as a “family pharmacist,” you need to sign a consent form. And not everyone can become a family pharmacist. As a family pharmacist, you must:

• Have experience working at a pharmacy for 3 years or more
• Have served at the pharmacy for at least 32 hours a week, and have been working there for one year or more (from the revision in 2018).
• Participate in regional activities related to medical care.
• Have taken specified training.

The reason why the country wants to have a new evaluation is because it wants to make the “family pharmacist” popular. Why do we need a family pharmacist?

It’s because as aging progresses, there are multiple disorders, and there are an increasing number of people who visit multiple doctors. Drugs with similar uses are being prescribed redundantly, and these medicines can cause problems. Because it is stable, finding a “usual pharmacy” is recommended, though. It’s like a “beauty salon where you always go”
Don’t you somehow feel comfortable with the familiar face in the usual place?
Doesn’t that make it easy for you to ask regarding what you’re concerned about?
By all means, please make your “usual pharmacy = family pharmacy”.

We would also like Metro Pharmacy to be a family pharmacy for people living and working in Takanawa.