Impact of postal and telephone reminders on pick-up rates of unclaimed e-prescriptions.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the impact of a reminder (i.e., a mailed letter or short telephone call) from the pharmacy to patients, compared with no reminder in a control group, on the pick-up rates of unclaimed e-prescriptions.


METHODS
Patients, with e-prescriptions transmitted to four large community pharmacies in two counties in northern Sweden and remaining unclaimed after 4 weekdays, were randomised to one of two intervention groups (a mailed reminder or a short telephonic reminder) or a control group.


METHODS
Rates of patients' pick-up of their e-prescriptions at follow-up after about 1, 2 and 3 weeks.


RESULTS
Altogether, 320 patients with e-prescriptions, transmitted from March 21 through April 6 and not picked-up or dispensed, were identified and randomised to the study. There were no statistically significant differences in overall pick-up rates between the groups or with respect to gender. However, pick-up rates increased with increasing age. Higher pick-up rates were observed for two subgroups (but only in the mailed reminder group compared with controls)--for cardiovascular drugs to men and for respiratory drugs to adolescents and young adults.


CONCLUSIONS
A reminder (i.e., a mailed letter or short telephone call) from the pharmacy to the patient had no statistically significant effect on overall pick-up rates of unclaimed e-prescriptions compared with no reminders.
Ekedahl
Anders
A
R&D Department, National Corporation of Swedish Pharmacies (Apoteket AB), Apoteket Lejonet; Stortorget 8, 211 34, Malmo, Sweden. anders.ekedahl@apoteket.se
Oskarsson
Vivianne
V
Sundberg
Barbro
B
Gustafsson
Veronica
V
Lundberg
Therese
T
Gullberg
Bo
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055695:Electronic Prescribing; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011177:Postal Service; D055553:Prescription Drugs; D017010:Reminder Systems; D012737:Sex Factors; D013548:Sweden; D013689:Telephone; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
D055553:Prescription Drugs