title: Diary cards and the assessment of cough symptoms in community pharmacies.
abstract: The aim of this study is to compare cough symptom assessment and medication efficacy as recorded in a diary card with that obtained through direct questioning by a pharmacist. Clients visiting six pharmacies, purchasing a cough medication and meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited. They were asked to fill out diary cards to obtain a daily retrospective assessment of symptoms and medication efficacy. After three days the subjects returned to the pharmacy and were asked to recall their symptoms through a structured questionnaire administered by the pharmacist. 48 clients were recruited to the study and of these 44 (92%) completed the study. A good correlation was obtained between ratings of medication efficacy as recorded by diary cards and recall. Symptom assessment also showed a statistically significant correlation for days two and three only. For studies assessing symptoms over a 48 hour period, detailed post-study assessments may not be required. The study provides further evidence for the viability of clinical trials conducted through community pharmacies.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nandha
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goodyer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Woodruffe-Peacock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000996:Antitussive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003371:Cough / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010594:Pharmacies; D010595:Pharmacists
chemical_list: D000996:Antitussive Agents; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs