Telephone follow-up of patients receiving antibiotic prescriptions from community pharmacies.
OBJECTIVE
The impact of a community pharmacist telephone follow-up intervention (PTFI) on clinical outcomes, pharmaceutical care, and costs for patients undergoing antibiotic treatment was studied.


METHODS
Patients receiving usual pharmacist intervention (UPI) were compared with PTFI patients in a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial.


RESULTS
Compared with the UPI group (n = 129), the PTFI group (n = 126) had more drug-related problems (DRPs) (PTFI = 53%, UPI = 8%; p < 0.001). Oral recommendations (PTFI = 52%, UPI = 6%; p < 0.001), as well as recognized (PTFI = 10%, UPI = 2%; p = 0.015) and study-specific (PTFI = 5%, UPI = 1%; p = 0.064) pharmaceutical advices, were issued for more patients. The mean difference in the change in the number of infectious symptoms between the two groups (-0.24 symptom, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.22 to 0.74) and the change in the infection severity score (mean difference = -0.05 unit, 95% CI = -0.35 to 0.25) were small and not statistically significant. Adherence to treatment and patient satisfaction did not differ across the two intervention groups. The incremental direct costs of the PTFI varied from $2.65 to $5.11 (Canadian dollars) per patient, depending on whether cognitive services were reimbursed.


CONCLUSIONS
A telephone follow-up by community pharmacists during antibiotic therapy was simple and quick and created opportunities to intervene with patients, but it did not create a greater change in the number of infectious symptoms or the infection severity score than did usual care.
Beaucage
Krystel
K
Community Pharmacy Practice Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal (UM), Quebec, Canada.
Lachance-Demers
Hélène
H
Ngo
Thi Thanh-Thao
TT
Vachon
Cynthia
C
Lamarre
Diane
D
Guévin
Jean-François
JF
Martineau
Andrée
A
Desroches
Danielle
D
Brassard
Joëlle
J
Lalonde
Lyne
L
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents