Intervention to reduce telephone prescription requests.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate a systematic effort to reduce telephone orders for prescription medications in a community family practice.


METHODS
Three-year intervention project.


METHODS
Solo family practice in Ottawa.


METHODS
All patients requesting telephone orders for prescription medications.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of phone requests and orders was conducted on 1 continuous year's records. A new office policy was instituted on October 9, 1992, discouraging telephone orders for prescription medication. Prescription telephone requests and orders were then monitored continuously for the next 3 years.


METHODS
Number of telephone prescription requests and orders per half-day 1 year before the intervention compared with the number for the 3 years after the intervention.


RESULTS
One year before the intervention, there were 4.96 telephone prescription requests per half-day: 3 years after the intervention this number fell to 0.85. One year before the intervention, the number of telephone prescription orders per half-day was 4.80; this number fell continuously to 0.67 during the 3 years following the intervention.


CONCLUSIONS
We observed a reduction in the number of telephone prescription requests and orders following the introduction of an office policy that encouraged prescribing and renewing medication in person.
Cohen
H R
HR
Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa.
Garwood
H
H
Seaby
C
C
D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005194:Family Practice; D009864:Ontario; D011050:Policy Making; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013689:Telephone