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Construction of regional inclusive care system is being promoted and pharmacists are required to implement multidisciplinary collaboration in order to provide appropriate pharmaceutical care to patients. However, there are few studies on collaboration between medical facilities and community pharmacies. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey of community pharmacies in Gifu City, which assessed the experience and attitudes regarding collaboration with other medical facilities. The survey items are: I. Participation in regional care meetings, II. Case discussion conferences, III. Joint workshops/study conferences, IV. Community service, V. Sharing information through medical cooperation network, and VI. Accompanying community pharmacists at home medical care. For the implementation of collaboration, the percentage of "not implemented" were as high as 70% or more in II, IV, V and VI. Regarding the attitudes toward collaboration, more than half of pharmacies answered that they wanted to implement in all items. In the comparison by the number of pharmacists, pharmacies with two or more pharmacists had significantly higher implementation ratios than pharmacies with one pharmacist in IV and V. Regarding the attitudes toward collaboration, pharmacies with two or more pharmacists had significantly higher ratios of considering implementation than pharmacies with one pharmacist in I and VI. Based on the results of this survey, there were many items that were not implemented as collaboration with other medical facilities at community pharmacies. However, many community pharmacies are planning to collaborate with other medical facilities in the future.

In Japan, within the background of a progressively aging society, a community general support system is gradually being established. Under this system, community pharmacists are expected to expand their activities in local communities. Here, we surveyed the distribution of community pharmacists in Japan by using government statistics. We found that there are 153 towns/villages without community pharmacists, which is about six times the number of towns without physicians (26 towns/villages). The number of community pharmacists per 100000 population was correlated with the population of the municipality. There was a significant difference in the number of community pharmacists per 100000 population between depopulated and non-depopulated areas. A multiple regression analysis revealed that population, financial capability index, and number of physicians per 100000 population were positively associated with the number of community pharmacists per 100000 population in a given municipality. We hope that the survey provides useful information about future issues facing community pharmacy in a community general support system.

The "self-medication tax deduction" system began in Japan in January 2017, allowing people to encourage the use of OTC drugs. Package inserts contain important information for consumers regarding their use. In this study, we first checked whether the items, as required in the notifications of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, are described in the package inserts of cold remedies and analgesic antipyretics in OTC drugs. The descriptions of almost all packages checked in this study were based on the notifications, but those of a small number of them were not. Next, we examined the description of the items, unrequired in the notification, but worthy for proper use of drugs; e.g., the description of prohibition for use by "patients with severe hypertension" in case of ibuprofen-containing products, and the description was found in only seven of 180 products. Manufactures should make package inserts along with notifications, including the description for proper use of drugs.