Background: Patients who develop severe side-effects when taking high-risk drugs may have a significantly reduced health-related quality of life (QOL); therefore, it is important to identify changes in health-related QOL in these patients. This study aimed to determine health-related QOL in community pharmacy outpatients taking high-risk drugs.
Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at 29 pharmacies in 12 regions and cities in Japan from October to December 2020. Using descriptive questionnaires of EuroQOL-5-dimensions-5-levels (EQ-5D-5L), community pharmacists obtained health-related QOL data from outpatients taking high-risk drugs.
Results: In total, 760 outpatients were enrolled. The mean health-related QOL of all outpatients was 0.869. Health-related QOL decreased with increasing age. Outpatient health -related QOL was 0.700, 0.763, 0.785, and 0.817 when taking antiepileptic, antidepressant, digitalis, and antiarrhythmic drugs, respectively, which was lower than the average health-related QOL of all outpatients. Mobility and pain/discomfort accounted for a large proportion of the decline in health-related QOL with increasing age. No difference was found concerning personal care in relation to age; however, the number of outpatients with mobility, normal activity, and pain challenges decreased with age. In contrast, outpatients aged <65 years with anxiety/depression showed lower than overall average health-related QOL.
Conclusion: Community pharmacists determined the health-related QOL of outpatients taking high-risk drugs. We clarified the contributions of the 5-dimensions.
Trial registration: UMIN-CTR Study Design: trial Number UMIN 000041942. Registered 30 September 2020, https://www.umin.ac.jp