[Time analysis of pharmacists' home visit duties]

Pharmacists' home visit duties include accepting prescriptions, making inquiries with the attending physician, preparing medication, giving guidance on medication, going on home visits(round trips), and handling insurance claims. In the present study, we measured the time required for each duty and determined work duration per visit. The study took place during September 2013; the sample included 116 subjects and 211 home visits were conducted. Pharmacists' mean work duration per visit was 73 min and 15 s; they spent an average of 36 min and 13 s of this period on round trips involving home visits and providing guidance on medication. Pharmacists are responsible for preparing medication for outpatients; therefore, it can be assumed that they can visit patients at their homes only during the estimated 2-h period after lunch and before the commencement of outpatient service in the evening. Therefore, it is difficult for one pharmacist to visit more than five patients a day. The number of patients that each pharmacist can visit in one week(6 working days)is estimated at 25-30.