{"id":4336,"date":"2026-09-04T18:29:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T09:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yuyama.co.jp\/en\/user-report\/4336"},"modified":"2026-09-04T18:29:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T09:29:31","slug":"strengthening-home-care-with-inspection-support-features-reducing-time-spent-on-multi-dose-packaging-to-free-up-time-for-home-visits","status":"publish","type":"user-report","link":"https:\/\/www.yuyama.co.jp\/en\/user-report\/4336","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening Home Care with Inspection Support Features\u2014Reducing Time Spent on Multi-Dose Packaging to Free Up Time for Home Visits"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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Shirokuma Pharmacy Fukaebashi Branch<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n
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The Shirokuma Pharmacy Fukaebashi Branch, located in Joto Ward, Osaka City, has introduced Yuyama\u2019s \u201cLitrea-iII,\u201d a fully-Automatic compact tablet packaging machine with inspection support function<\/a>, to accommodate the expansion of its home care services. This has significantly reduced the time required for multi-dose packaging. As a result, staff have been able to free up time for visits to senior care facilities, spend more time interacting with patients, and allocate time to tasks such as prescription verification. This has also helped alleviate the psychological burden on staff.

\r\n\r\nThe store is located in a residential area about a 5-minute walk from Fukaebashi Station on the Osaka Metro Chuo Line. Its proximity to the station makes it convenient for commuters, which helps the store attract and retain pharmacists, and its spacious layout allows for ample room for dispensing operations. Leveraging these strengths, the store is focusing its efforts on home care services, primarily for large-scale senior care facilities.

\r\n\r\nSince opening in December 2020, the pharmacy initially focused primarily on filling prescriptions from nearby clinics, but after a while, it began offering home visit services. Tomoyuki Hashimoto, CEO and pharmacist of Shirokuma Pharmacy\u2014which operates a total of 14 locations in Osaka Prefecture, including this one\u2014said, \u201cBecause the store is spacious, we viewed it from the very beginning as a location within our group that would place a strong emphasis on home visits.\u201d

\r\n\r\nCurrently, in addition to providing services at a total of eight facilities\u2014including three large senior care facilities with about 100 residents each\u2014we also provide home care services to individual patients. We fill approximately 1,400 prescriptions per month, with home care accounting for about 70 percent of that total.

\r\n\r\nThe staff consists of 4 pharmacists and 7 administrative staff members, for a total of 11 employees. On a typical day, the pharmacy operates with a team of 2 to 3 pharmacists and 4 to 5 administrative staff members. The staff is notably young, and within the company, the pharmacy is regarded as a vibrant store, thanks to its large staff and cheerful atmosphere.The pharmacy has received positive reviews from patients and, going beyond its role as a hospital-affiliated pharmacy, is seeing an increase in prescriptions filled from various medical institutions. In addition, the pharmacy sell over-the-counter (OTC) medications in our spacious, clean store. \r\n

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Mr. Hashimoto (right) and Ms. Hyodo<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n
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Anticipating an increase in prescription volumes as it began offering home visit services, the pharmacy introduced Yuyama\u2019s Fully-Automatic Compact Tablet Packaging Machine, \u201cLitrea IV.\u201d By working to streamline the tablet packaging process, the pharmacy has established a system to support the expansion of its home visit services.

\r\n\r\nA key feature of this machine is its ability to use two types of cassettes for filling tablets. One is the \u201cVariable Cassette (VC),\u201d which, thanks to Yuyama\u2019s proprietary technology, allows the size of the drug passages inside the cassette to be freely adjusted within the pharmacy to accommodate different tablet sizes. While size adjustments are typically requested from the manufacturer, the ability to make these changes easily in-house makes it easier to adapt to sudden changes in prescribed medications, such as when switching to generic drugs or due to drug shortages. The VC can be used in a total of 128 tablets, or 152 tablets depending on the machine model.

\r\n\r\nAnother type is the \u201cUniversal Cassette (UC),\u201d which features a dispensing opening that adjusts to the shape of the tablet, allowing it to dispense a variety of tablets. It can also accommodate half-tablets, and a total of four tablets can be loaded.\r\n

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Reduces The Psychological Burden on Staff<\/h2>\r\n

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You can view the audit results on the monitor<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n
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In March of this year, the pharmacy switched to \u201cLitrea-iII,\u201d a system equipped with inspection support functions, and moved forward with automating the inspection of muti-dose packaging. Mr. Hashimoto explained, \u201cAs our operations have become more complex and our workload has increased, we replaced our equipment with the latest models in hopes of reducing the workload on pharmacists and administrative staff.\u201d

\r\n\r\nThis device features inspection support software that analyzes images of tablets captured by a built-in high-performance camera prior to packaging and displays the inspection results.Tablets dispensed from a cassette are caught by a dedicated tray mechanism, and two cameras\u2014one above and one below\u2014capture images of both sides. The system identifies the tablets by reading the text engraved on them, as well as their color, shape, and diameter.Because the images are captured before packaging, the tablet information is captured clearly. The identification rate is reported to exceed 95 percent.

\r\n\r\nAlthough no images are taken after the packaging process, the final path from the petri dish to the packaging\u2014including the hopper section and the inside of the packaging paper\u2014is recorded to ensure safety. Since inspection data can be stored for more than 100 days, it can be reviewed in the event of an inquiry after dispensing.

\r\n\r\nSwitching to this equipment has significantly reduced the time required for muti-dose packaging.Yuka Hyodo, the store\u2019s managing pharmacist, says, \u201cWith the addition of the verification support feature, the time required for verification become incomparably shorter than what it used to be.\u201dPreviously, when dispensing medications for large-scale senior care facilities, preparation\u2014including unit-dose packaging and inspection\u2014sometimes took about a week, but that time has now been reduced to about four days.Multi-dose packaging and inspection tasks, which sometimes required a team of three people, can now be completed by a single person in some cases.Ms. Hyodo says, \u201cThe anxiety we used to feel about whether we could finish the multi-dose packaging in time for our facility visits has been alleviated.\u201d

\r\n\r\nThe inspection process does not rely entirely on machines but pharmacists always perform a visual inspection.First, based on prescription data, a two-week supply or similar amount is packaged into individual doses. Pharmacists then visually verify the contents of the first day\u2014such as those taken after breakfast, lunch, and dinner\u2014by comparing them with the prescription details.After that, they use inspection support software to review the entire batch.Ms. Hyodo explains, \u201cSince viewing the system\u2019s results on the screen first could lead to bias, we ensure that pharmacists conduct the visual inspection first.\u201d

\r\n\r\nIt is also said to offer high accuracy in multi-dose packaging. After about four months of use, there were very rare instances of foreign matter or the wrong medication being included, but all of these were detected by the inspection support function.

\r\n\r\nThe introduction of this system has freed up time that can now be allocated to other tasks, leading to improvements in patient safety and an expansion of interpersonal care.Ms. Hyodo says, \u201cI\u2019ve been able to devote time to verifying whether the prescriptions themselves are correct and to reviewing interactions with doctors, nurses, and facility staff\u201dMr. Hashimoto also notes, \u201cI\u2019ve been able to carve out sufficient time for facility visits, and the time I spend talking with patients has definitely increased.\u201d

\r\n\r\nRegarding cost-effectiveness, Mr. Hashimoto said, \u201cAlthough the equipment is expensive, considering factors such as improved operational efficiency and labor costs, I believe it is a worthwhile investment that can pay for itself.He went on to emphasize, \u201cAbove all, the fact that our pharmacists and administrative staff can now perform their duties with a sense of security is a major achievement.\u201dMoving forward, the organization plans to create a system that allows pharmacists to spend more time with patients and clients and engage in thoughtful conversations with them.

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(From the pharmaceutical reports)<\/p>\r\n

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Information as of July 2026<\/p>\r\n

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