Abstract
Using automated phone calls to follow up with patients after they receive a prescription can help uncover adverse drug events (ADEs), according to new Canadian research.
The study, published in the online version of JAMA Internal Medicine on February 4, 2013, was led by Alan Forster, Scientific Director of Performance Measurement at Ottawa Hospital. According to Dr. Forster, the study was the first to use an automated calling system to check for adverse drug reactions.
The research involved 629 patients at family health care practices in Quebec. The patients were contacted 3 days after receiving their prescription medication and again after 17 days, and responded to recorded questions that asked them about problems or new symptoms that had occurred after beginning to take the drug. Study researchers then contacted the patients after 21 days to get more detailed information.
The study found that the automated phone call system identified 58 out of 125 ADEs (46%). The system offered the patients the chance to receive a phone call from a pharmacist to have a further discussion about their medication; about one-third of the patients asked for such a call.
A journal editorial accompanying the study called the findings promising, but noted that automated calls alone have limitations, given that slightly fewer than half of ADEs were identified.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is funding a randomized control trial of the system to gather more information on potential benefits and cost-effectiveness.