A Two‐Day National Consumer Medicines Information Phone‐In

Abstract

We describe the organisation, operation and results of a national two‐day telephone medication information service for consumers. The ‘Phone‐In’ allowed consumers anywhere in Australia to confidentially ask questions about their medicines by calling a freecall number between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on 28 and 29 November 1997. The results are compared with similar services in 1992 and 1996.The 1997 Phone‐In was staffed by 78 pharmacists, 5 medical practitioners and 2 Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme advisers. There were 3497 enquiries from 3408 callers over the two days, compared with 2245 calls to the one‐day service in 1996. The top two drug enquiry categories were the same in all three years, i.e. cardiac (24–28%) and psychotropic (14–17%). As in 1992 and 1996, the most frequent questions were about side effects (50% of calls in 1997, 46% in 1996, and 45% in 1992).In a follow‐up survey of 300 callers, over 99% were comfortable with the service and 94% found it helpful or very helpful. Advice was provided to 69% of the sample group of callers and 23% changed the way they took medicines. Forty‐one per cent of callers talked to a doctor or pharmacist as a result of the advice they received and 47% said they had changed the way they talk to their doctor or pharmacist. When surveyed, almost all participants (97%) said they would want to participate in another Phone‐In.The Medicines Phone‐In again demonstrated that a telephone service is an important and useful mechanism for acquiring information about medicines. Based on the surveys of callers and the pharmacists and doctors answering calls, there was a high level of satisfaction with the Phone‐In from ‘both ends of the telephone line’.