In Japan, the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act was amended in December 2019 and now requires pharmacists to follow-up patients continuously during treatment to ensure proper use of medicines. According to some reports on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), follow-up by doctors is effective for improving treatment. Enhanced face-to-face medication counseling by pharmacists leads to good glycemic control in patients with diabetes. However, the effects of information and communication technology (ICT)-based follow-up during the medication period are not well-understood. We determined the efficacy of pharmacists' follow-up using FollowNavi, a patient compliance instruction support system, and using our developed LINE tool for patients with T2DM. Through a before-after study, changes in glycemic control and medication adherence after 6 months of follow-up were investigated, and multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors associated with changes in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Questionnaire surveys related to usability were completed by patients and pharmacists. In the 35 patients with T2DM, HbA1c levels decreased significantly after 6 months, although fasting blood glucose levels and medication adherence showed no significant differences. Changes in HbA1c levels were significantly associated with age (p = 0.044), baseline HbA1c levels (p < 0.001), and diabetes duration (p = 0.004). In the questionnaire, 81.8% of patients responded that they would prefer to continue using FollowNavi. These results suggest that follow-up using FollowNavi is useful for glycemic control in patients with T2DM.
Keywords: community pharmacy; follow-up care; information and communication technology; type 2 diabetes mellitus.