Evaluation of the color change and combination in colored pharmaceuticals to make their discrimination more difficult under different light sources, establishing safer and more secure medication.

• Project/Area Number: 18K11977
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90010:Design-related
• Research Institution: Hyogo University of Health Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Ishizaki Makiko 兵庫医療大学, 薬学部, 研究員 (20623979)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 前田 初男 兵庫医療大学, 薬学部, 教授 (00229311)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥520,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥120,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000)
• Keywords: 服薬環境 / 光源 / ユニバーサルデザイン / 錠剤の色彩 / 識別性 / 高齢者 / 照明 / 錠剤色 / 色変化 / カラーユニバーサルデザイン / 光源色 / 処方薬 / LED / 薬剤の色彩類似性 / 服薬ミス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Since Japanese tablet pharmaceuticals exhibit high similarity in color, we evaluated the probable risk that medication adherence might be inhibited under different light sources and obtained the following results, raising an important issue for pharmacists as well as patients. Under light sources looking warm white and colors of light bulb, incandescent lump, sunrise, and sunset, their trend to emphasize redness generally rendered discrimination between colored tablets more troublesome regardless of their hue. In contrast, colored tablets even with high value and low chroma were correctly identified under natural lights as well as illuminant with natural white. In addition, we verified how complications would bring about between warm colors with high value and low chroma that are popular as the tablet colors in Japan, and elucidated some color combinations such as yellowish red with pink or yellow that are apt to experience high confusions depending upon illumination conditions.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

昨今は、インテリアデザインの面からリラックス効果を上げるために、電球色など温かみが感じられる照明が増えつつある。しかし、精神的に効果があるとされるこのような色温度の低い照明は、時に日本の錠剤色の見えを変化させる危険性を含んでいることは見逃せない。
また、薬局と自宅、居室の種類、時刻の変化でも光源の色は変化している。これら光源色の変化が高明度、低彩度の錠剤に与える色の変化を知ることで、より安全安心な服薬環境を提案できる。
特に、加齢により色覚が変化し、黄や青への感度が低下する高齢患者の服薬アドヒアランスの向上のために、本研究の知見をもとに服薬環境の光源について注意喚起することが重要と思われる。