Examination of the usefulness of health consultations in community pharmacies for elderly people

Abstract

In this study, we conducted a web-based survey of 800 elderly people to clarify sex and regional diffierences in the usefulness of individual health consultations in community pharmacies for improving the health of elderly people. The results demonstrated that the health consultations were more useful for those with high health consciousness than those with low health consciousness and men living alone had the greatest need for health consultations. Among residents of urban areas, ``physical activity and exercise'' affected the usefulness of the health consultations for both men and women. In contrast, among residents of rural areas, ``nutrition and dietary habits'' affected the usefulness of the health consultations for both men and women. These results demonstrate that individual health consultations with elderly people focus on problems other than the side effects of medications. Therefore, it is expected that such consultations will continue to contribute substantially to the health of residents in the future. It is necessary for pharmacies to provide consultations on a more diverse range of issues and to be recognized by residents as providers of medical advice in the community.