Proportion of Japanese outpatients filling prescriptions for long-term medication regimens.

Our study aimed to clarify how long outpatients with chronic diseases such as hypertension continuously fill prescriptions for the same medications as those prescribed initially and how many medications they take over the long term. Medication records from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 with total days between initial and final dispensation date ≥330 days and total days of medication supplies ≥180 days were extracted from an electronic database in a Japanese community pharmacy chain. The continuity of refilling medications over 1 year (ie, medication fill adherence) was measured using the medication possession ratio (MPR).