Reasons For Calling Research Articles

IMPACT OF CREATING MENTAL HEALTH HELPLINE AT A TERTIARY CARE PSYCHIATRIC SET-UP IN PAKISTAN DURING THE COVID -19 PANDEMIC

Objectives The objectives of this study were to analyze the calls received at a 24-hour helpline service set up at the Institute of Psychiatry during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic for the demographics of the service users, the reasons for calling the helpline phone, and the guidance provided. Design Descriptive retrospective clinical audit Place and Duration of Study The Institute of Psychiatry, from June 2020 and February 2021 Patients and Methods The entries made detailing the call records by psychiatry residents managing the helpline were analyzed. Data was extracted regarding age, area of residence, and reasons for calling by the service users of the helpline, as well as the advice given by the resident on call. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26, and findings were evaluated in terms of age, geographical distribution, reasons for seeking assistance, and the type of guidance provided thereof. Results Of the 102 calls analyzed, most of the callers were between 30 to 39 years of age (33.3%), and hailed from Rawalpindi (78.4%), followed by Kashmir (5.9%), Chakwal (4.9%) and Murree (3.9%). The most frequently stated reasons for calling were to ask about availability of out-patient services (36.3%), to have medication revised (23.5%), and to enquire about the side effects of medication (11.8%). Other reasons included recurrence of symptoms or lack of improvement in patients already taking treatment (15.7%) and to seek help regarding new psychiatric symptoms (12.7%). The responses given to the callers were invitation to come to the hospital (44.1%), provision of relevant information about the particular questions asked (for example, relating to hospital timings) (36.3%), adjustment of medications (11.8%), and prescribing medication with advice of physical follow-up (7.8%). Conclusion Despite psychiatric out-patient department being temporarily closed down during the initial waves of the COVID 19 pandemic, efforts were made to continue service provision through innovative means, like the 24-hour helpline service. There is a need to further incorporate the use of technology in the delivery of psychiatric services.

Seeking abortion accompaniment: experiences and self-managed abortion preferences of hotline callers after abortion legalisation in Argentina

BackgroundUntil the legalisation of abortion in Argentina in 2021, the Socorristas en Red, a network of feminist collectives, provided support and information (‘accompaniment’) to people self-managing their abortion with medications....

Reasons for calling in medical emergencies: development of a structured semantic model based on a randomised sample of medical emergency calls from an integrated emergency dispatch centre

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Rettungsleitstellen sehen sich mit steigenden Herausforderungen durch kontinuierlich steigende Notrufzahlen konfrontiert. Zur besseren Strukturierung und Priorisierung der Notrufgespräche werden vielerorts standardisierte Abfragesysteme implementiert. Aktuelle Entwicklungen im Bereich der künstlichen Intelligenz eröffnen neue Möglichkeiten der Entscheidungsunterstützung von Disponierenden. Voraussetzung hierfür ist ein prozesshaftes Modell des Notrufdialogs. Ziel der Arbeit Auf Basis einer Analyse der komplexen Anrufgründe von Notrufgesprächen wird deren übergreifende Struktur abgeleitet und modellhaft dargestellt. Material und Methoden 50 randomisiert ausgewählte Aufzeichnungen medizinischer Notrufe einer integrierten Rettungsleitstelle aus dem Jahr 2022 wurden transkribiert, unter Anwendung einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse induktiv codiert, kategorisiert und in ein prozesshaftes Modell des Notrufdialogs überführt. Ergebnisse Das typische Notrufgespräch besteht aus zwei konsekutiven Prozessen, einem Einstiegs- und einem Rückfrageprozess. Der Einstiegsprozess dient der Informationsgewinnung mit dem Ziel, abschätzen zu können, ob es sich beim Notrufgrund um ein einzelnes Hauptproblem, die Kombination aus mehreren Gesundheitsbeeinträchtigungen oder ein Ereignis vor bzw. nach einer Gesundheitsbeeinträchtigung handelt. Der Rückfrageprozess dient der Präzisierung der Zustands- bzw. Problembeschreibung. Diskussion Auf Basis der zufällig ausgewählten Notrufgespräche konnte der idealtypische Ablauf des Notrufgesprächs abgeleitet und in einem phasen- bzw. prozesshaften Modell dargestellt werden, auf dessen Grundlage nun KI-gestützte Notrufabfragesysteme entwickelt werden können.

Reasons for Calling EMS

Background: Frequent callers of emergency medical services comprise a disproportionate percentage of emergency department visits. This study aims to describe reasons for calling 911 and healthcare services among frequent callers in Ontario.
 Methods: Cross-sectional research design. A mailed self-administered survey was conducted. Participants were residents of an urban City in Canada, 18 years or older, and had called 911 at least 5 times in the past year. Dillman’s Total Design Method was used to implement the survey. Data was summarized using frequency distribution. Subgroup analyses were performed to assess for factors associated with reasons for calling in the past, reasons for calling in the future, and health services utilized.
 Results: Among the 67 participants, 47.8% were over 65, 50.70% were female, 85.1% were unemployed, and 38.8% lived alone. Most frequently reported reasons for having called 911 were inability to get up after a fall (41.8%), exacerbation of chronic medical conditions (37.3%), inability to get to the hospital (34.3%), experiencing severe pain (34.3%), and anxiety attacks (23.9%). Subgroup analysis showed significant associations: unemployment was associated with calling due to an alcohol or drug overdose (OR=6.50; CI: 1.16, 36.26); age over 65 had a lower odds of calling in the future for alcohol or drug overdose (OR=0.06; CI: 0.01, 0.51), for serious allergic response (OR=0.22; CI:0.081, 0.740) or for severe pain (OR=0.18; CI: 0.064, 0.518); age over 65 (OR=4.46CI=1.24-17.41) had higher odds of using Community Care Access Centers; and male participants had lower odds of using telehealth (OR=0.19; CI:0.038, 0.97).
 Conclusions: Policy makers should review these reasons for frequently calling 911 and implement a system to help frequent callers use more appropriate health care services including a non-ambulance response to calls related to falls, transport to medical care facilities, or anxiety attacks. This might free up ambulance services for more urgent calls.

R3 (Resident Advocacy Project) Evaluation of a Novel COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service

Abstract Rationale and Objectives Strengthening confidence in COVID-19 vaccination in the paediatric population promotes more children getting vaccinated, leading to fewer COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths. Paediatric providers play an important role in promoting dialogue on the risks and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines for children. Caregivers who experience hesitancy toward the vaccines may lack access to quality medical information. Developed to close this gap, the SickKids COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service (VCS) is a nurse-led, telephone consultation service for residents of Ontario with questions/concerns about COVID-19 vaccination for children. The VCS aims to address vaccine hesitancy and enhance vaccine uptake, and ensures that children and caregivers have equitable access to timely and reliable information regarding COVID-19 vaccines in a safe and judgement-free environment. The VCS has escalation pathways in place should further discussion with a physician be required. Appointments can be booked without a referral and discussions are held by telephone. The VCS supports families whose children require specialized accommodation for vaccination with appointments at SickKids and throughout Ontario. Project Description A retrospective review of telephone consults received by the VCS between October 1, 2021- April 1, 2022 was undertaken to evaluate the service utilizing descriptive methodology. Information was extracted from databases stored in RedCap/EPIC and was maintained by staff conducting the calls. Inductive Thematic Analysis was utilized to analyze qualitative data and codes were generated to inform themes. Feedback formation was collected via exit surveys and included details about who was calling, reasons for calling, if concerns had been addressed, and intention to vaccinate. Outcomes Parents were the majority of callers (96%) and 4% were patients themselves, grandparents or other. A total of 99% of the calls included general questions about the vaccine, 36% of calls were questions about children with underlying medical conditions (cardiac conditions being the most common), and 12% were allergy-related questions. 9% of calls required a consult with MD/NP. 83% of questions/concerns were resolved following the call. Further, the majority of those surveyed following the appointment expressed intent for vaccination. Safety and development, side effects, and doses/intervals were the most common reason callers described hesitancy with proceeding with vaccination. Discussion/Future Directions Providing caregivers with timely and reliable information regarding COVID-19 vaccines through the VCS has proven to be effective in reducing vaccine hesitancy and increasing vaccine uptake in the paediatric community. In the future, the VCS model can be utilized to provide education to caregivers on other routine childhood vaccines.

One for all or all for one? An integrative review of research on frequent callers.

Telephone health services is an increasing and integral part of health care in several countries. Callers who call repeatedly, in the current study "frequent callers" are present in all kinds of healthcare services, often constitute a considerable proportion of the total amount of calls and are complicated to help. The aim was to provide a comprehensive overview of research on frequent callers at a variety of telephone health services. An integrative literature review. Literature was searched for the period 2011-2020 in CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, and PubMed, and resulted in the inclusion of 20 articles. Studies on frequent callers (FCs) were found in the context of emergency medical services, telephone helplines, primary healthcare, and specialist medicine clinics. Frequent calling was associated with psychiatric comorbidity, and the reasons for calling were often multifaceted. The strategies suggested for handling calls involved an individual approach, which could be enabled through multidisciplinary work. The main findings indicate a need for a systematic approach and guidelines to enable optimal help for FCs. Cooperation among healthcare instances seems to contribute to a more individual care for FCs.

Clinical Observational Study of the Rapid Response System in General Ward in China

Rapid Response Systems (RRS) had emerged as an approach to identify hospitalized patients who are at high risk of clinical deterioration. We performed a retrospective observational study and included inpatients from May, 2016 to December, 2019. This study aimed to observe and analyze the effect of introducing RRS in general wards, and discuss the main problems occurring in hospital in China. The critical rapid response team was called to 312 cases in 44 months. The top three reasons for calling them were unconsciousness (29.79%), respiratory distress (19.17%), and hypotension (18.60%). The effective call rate was 91.99%, and only 68.27% of cases were transferred to the ICU. The top three advanced life supports used for patients transferred to ICU were mechanical ventilation (89.67%), blood purification (85.92%), and vasoactive drugs application (82.16%). After the introduction of the RRS, the rate of unplanned admissions to the ICU increased, but the incidence of cardiac arrest decreased significantly. The RRS can improve the safety of inpatients in general wards, but the criteria for calling the rapid response team, and scoring tool used, are worthy of further discussion.

Systematic Review of Research and Interventions With Frequent Callers to Suicide Prevention Helplines and Crisis Centers.

Background: Helplines worldwide have frequent callers who may occupy a large proportion of call volume. Therapeutic gain from frequent calling has been questioned. We conducted this review to identify the characteristics of frequent callers and to compile recommendations about how best to help them. Method: Using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) standards, we searched for all empirical research in English and French from inception to May, 2020 in PubMed, PsycInfo, and the CRISE library. Results: We identified 738 manuscripts and retained 27 for analyses. Nine provided no definition of frequent callers; nine mixed frequent callers with repeat callers (>1 calls); nine concerned frequent callers (≥8 calls/month). The limited data suggest frequent callers are similar to other callers and often experience mental health problems, loneliness, and suicide risk. From recommendations in all 27 studies, we identified 10 suggestions to better manage and help frequent callers that merit validation. Limitations: The small number of empirical investigations and the diversity of their goals and methodologies limit generalizations. Although recommendations for helping callers may have face validity, empirical data on their effectiveness are scarce. Conclusion: Rather than focusing on reducing call frequency, we should empirically evaluate the benefits of interventions for frequent callers with different calling patterns, characteristics, and reasons for calling.

Influential Article Review - Personal and Household Abuse Prevention

This paper examines domestic violence. We present insights from a highly influential paper. Here are the highlights from this paper: How police respond to domestic and family violence (DFV) has important ramifications for the safety of women and their children. Despite recognition of the key role police play in responding to DFV and the importance of the perspectives of survivors in informing appropriate responses, there has been no recent exploration of survivors’ experiences of the police response to DFV in Queensland. This article draws on interviews with women in Brisbane, Australia, who have experienced DFV and engaged in some way with the legal system. It explores women’s reasons for calling, or not calling, the police and their experiences with police between 2014 and 2017. The article highlights the role of police culture in appropriately responding to DFV. It suggests that cultural change is needed and may be facilitated by ongoing training, addressing gender balance within the police service and introducing women-only police stations. For our overseas readers, we then present the insights from this paper in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German.

Some Questions Related to the Life of Zholbarys Khan

There are many historical figures in Kazakh history who have left their mark. However, contradictory information about their way of life is often found. The life of Zholbarys Abdullauly, who has a special place among the kazakh khans, is also full of secrets due to the lack of evidence. The article discusses the origin of Zholbarys Khan, his life and role, his brothers and children in connection with historical events. Although it is not ruled out that he is from the Genghis dynasty, the reasons for calling him "unknown origin" are analyzed. The answer to the problem, that he was the brother of Abulkhair Khan is considered. The activities of Zholbarys Khan, the political situation during his reign and relations with neighboring countries are analyzed based on sources. The territory ruled by Zholbarys Khan and his politics are seen as one of the main issues. The Dzungar invasion and the establishment of diplomatic relations with Russia are analyzed as foreign policy priorities. The territories liberated from the Dzungars as a result of a joint struggle against a common enemy are named. The names of noble people during the reign of Zholbarys Khan are described in connection with the historical events of that time. It is said that the death of Zholbarys Khan, as well as his whole life, caused a number of speculations. His burial place is the spiritual capital of the country - Turkestan. The opinion that he was buried in the mausoleum of Hodja Ahmed Yasawi, which became the eternal home of 21 kazakh khans, is supported by additional data. As part of the inauguration of historical figures, the name of Zholbarys Khan will be promoted.

Women's Experiences During COVID-19 in Bangladesh

Abstract. This study is a content analysis of women's experiences during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic in Bangladesh, using a unique data set from Bangladesh's only emotional support and suicide prevention helpline. Each call to the helpline has a written description, completed by the individual answering the call, of the caller's condition and reasons for calling. We coded descriptions of calls received from female callers in the first 6 months of the pandemic ( N = 276) and in the same 6-month period from the previous year ( N = 224) for comparison. Findings revealed that for the most part, reasons for calling were largely similar across the 2 years, with the majority of calls involving relationships of various kinds (namely, parents, husbands, or romantic partners). Key differences between 2020 and 2019 include mental health concerns in relation to the pandemic and academic concerns being absent from the pandemic year. These findings contribute to the emerging literature of women's experiences during the pandemic and have implications for intervention and future research.

Lessons learned from implementation of a national hotline for Ebola virus disease emergency preparedness in South Sudan

BackgroundThe world’s second largest Ebola outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2018 to 2020. At the time, risk of cross-border spread into South Sudan was very high. Thus, the South Sudan Ministry of Health scaled up Ebola preparedness activities in August 2018, including implementation of a 24-h, toll-free Ebola virus disease (EVD) hotline. The primary purpose was the hotline was to receive EVD alerts and the secondary goal was to provide evidence-based EVD messages to the public.MethodsTo assess whether the hotline augmented Ebola preparedness activities in a protracted humanitarian emergency context, we reviewed 22 weeks of call logs from January to June 2019. Counts and percentages were calculated for all available data.ResultsThe hotline received 2114 calls during the analysis period, and an additional 1835 missed calls were documented. Callers used the hotline throughout 24-h of the day and were most often men and individuals living in Jubek state, where the national capital is located. The leading reasons for calling were to learn more about EVD (68%) or to report clinical signs or symptoms (16%). Common EVD-related questions included EVD signs and symptoms, transmission, and prevention. Only one call was documented as an EVD alert, and there was no documentation of reported symptoms or whether the person met the EVD case definition.ConclusionsBasic surveillance information was not collected from callers. To trigger effective outbreak investigation from hotline calls, the hotline should capture who is reporting and from where, symptoms and travel history, and whether this information should be further investigated. Electronic data capture will enhance data quality and availability of information for review. Additionally, the magnitude of missed calls presents a major challenge. When calls are answered, there is potential to provide health communication, so risk communication needs should be considered. However, prior to hotline implementation, governments should critically assess whether their hotline would yield actionable data and if other data sources for surveillance or community concerns are available.

Исследование причин вызовов бригад скорой (неотложной) медицинской помощи в аптеки города Витебска за 2016-2018 гг.

Исследование причин вызовов бригад скорой (неотложной) медицинской помощи в аптеки города Витебска за 2016-2018 гг.

Psychological Support System for Hospital Workers During the Covid-19 Outbreak: Rapid Design and Implementation of the Covid-Psy Hotline.

BackgroundThe worldwide coronavirus outbreak has put hospital workers under extreme stress with possible mental health problems. In this context, we decided to rapidly design and implement a psychological support system for all hospital workers in Paris during the Covid-19 outbreak.MethodsWe built a hotline in 3 days using the following steps: 1) official mandate, 2) request for the creation of hotline numbers, 3) formulation of psychological intervention materials and policies, 4) call for volunteer certified psychologists, 5) call for volunteer certified psychiatrists in case of psychiatric cases, 6) creation of an anonymous and protected database, and 7) communication and regular reminders about the existence of the hotline for hospital workers.ResultsAfter the first 26 days, we received 149 calls with a mean of 5.73 calls/day (SD=3.22). The average call duration was 18.5 min (min=1; max=65min; SD=14.7), and mostly women (86%) called. The mean age was 32.7 years old (SD=11.0). Calls from hospital workers were from all professions; though mostly represented by frontline healthcare workers, non-frontline departments also called (total of 44 departments). Reasons for calling were anxiety symptoms (n=73, 49%), request for hotline information (n=31, 20.8%), worries about Covid-19 (n=23, 15.44%), exhaustion (n=17, 11.41%), trauma reactivation (n=10, 6.11%), insomnia (n=9, 6.0%), anger (n=8, 5.37%), depressive (n=6, 4.02%), and psychotic symptoms (n=3, 2.01%). Regarding referrals, 105 (70.47%) of them were referred to psychosocial, Covid, and general support.ConclusionsThis psychological support system can be easily duplicated and seems to benefit all hospital professions that all appeared psychologically affected.

Effect of the patient information brochure in communicating the risks associated with crizotinib treatment to patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Europe.

Crizotinib (XALKORI®) is indicated for anaplastic lymphoma kinase‐positive and ROS1‐positive advanced non‐small cell lung cancer. This study evaluated the distribution of the crizotinib patient information brochure (PIB) in Europe and patient knowledge of the key messages in the PIB. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in 10 European countries among patients who received crizotinib to ascertain whether each patient received and read the PIB, and his/her knowledge of its key messages on hepatotoxicity, interstitial lung disease/pneumonitis, QTc prolongation, bradycardia, and vision disorders. Of the 341 patients contacted, 40 responded (11.7%), and 39 patients were eligible. A total of 77% of respondents acknowledged receiving the PIB, of which, 93% reported reading it. Knowledge of the individual side effects ranged from 36% to 85%, and precautions for use ranged from 56% to 67%. Understanding the reasons for calling a physician ranged from 54% to 85%. Knowledge of each of the 6 key side effects was greater among readers of the PIB compared to non‐readers or respondents who did not recall receiving the PIB. Approximately three‐quarters of survey respondents recalled receiving the crizotinib PIB and respondents who read the PIB were more knowledgeable of the key side effects of crizotinib than those who did not read or receive. Caution should be taken in generalizing these results because of the potential for selection bias and small sample size. These survey results suggest that the crizotinib PIB may be an effective risk communication tool for crizotinib‐treated patients in Europe.

Politeness Strategies in Making Requests in Jordanian Call-Centre Interactions

The aim of this study is to examine politeness strategies employed in the interactions between Jordanians and the employees of the call-centre-customer service (CCCS) of a major telecommunications company in Jordan. It focuses on their linguistic behaviours upon requesting taking into account the variables of gender, and reasons for calling that may affect the choice of selecting an appropriate strategy. The data were collected from 20 participants through recording of naturally-occurring interactions. The theoretical framework of this study is based on Brown and Levinson’s (1987) model of politeness. The results of the study have shown that negative-politeness strategies dominate the scene in making requests as they were the most frequent ones which may indicate the preference of Jordanians for these strategies to other strategies. Furthermore, the results have shown that in certain cases gender variation had an impact on the choice of particular strategies.

Recent experiences with the Telephone helpline service at the central STD clinic, Colombo.

Introduction: The telephone helplines of the central STD clinic, Colombo provide sexual health information and guidance on STI care and treatment for the general public. However, caller profiles have not been explored or analyzed systematically during the recent past. Objectives: To describe the caller profiles and the content of the calls received to the telephone helpline. Methods: Details on all 215 telephone calls received to helpline during April-July, 2019 were recorded using a data extraction sheet after the verbal consent of the client. Results: Most callers (93%) were males with the median age of 22 years (range 15-65) and well educated (51%). The majority were first-time callers (84%). Reasons for calling included to inquire service delivery points (78%), HIV or HIV testing (62%), HIV symptoms (58%), Pre Exposure Prophylaxis related (11%), STI symptoms (21%) and sexual dysfunctions (12%). Thirty-four (34%) were due to misconceptions related to sexual health and HIV. Most callers (59%) discovered the hotline through internet (n= 126) while almost 10% were linked at a lecture and 6.5% by a peer and the rest as a result of TV programmes or newspaper articles Conclusions: People are using telephone helpline effectively. Therefore, further advertising on helpline through social media and other web sites and expansion of the services to the periphery is recommended. Reasons for less inquiries made by females should be further explored and attended. Timely actions to alleviate misconceptions regarding sexual health and HIV while raising awareness on available services need to be encouraged.

Policing Domestic and Family Violence

How police respond to domestic and family violence (DFV) has important ramifications for the safety of women and their children. Despite recognition of the key role police play in responding to DFV and the importance of the perspectives of survivors in informing appropriate responses, there has been no recent exploration of survivors’ experiences of the police response to DFV in Queensland. This article draws on interviews with women in Brisbane, Australia, who have experienced DFV and engaged in some way with the legal system. It explores women’s reasons for calling, or not calling, the police and their experiences with police between 2014 and 2017. The article highlights the role of police culture in appropriately responding to DFV. It suggests that cultural change is needed and may be facilitated by ongoing training, addressing gender balance within the police service and introducing women-only police stations.

24/7 palliative care telephone consultation service in Bangladesh: A descriptive mixed method study – They know that we are with them

BackgroundTelephone consultation for patients and their relatives is a new aspect in the area of palliative care (PC). The centre for palliative care (CPC) in Dhaka, Bangladesh has been delivering a 24/7 telephone service since 2009.AimThe aim of the study is to describe this 24/7 PC telephone consultation service (TCS); the development and the use of the service and the challenges experienced by the physicians delivering the consultations.MethodsA descriptive mixed method study. Data on telephone consultations were collected from (CPC) from 2009 to 2016. Descriptive statistics were used to identify characteristics of patients, callers’ relationship to patients, reasons for calling, and suggestions/advice provided. A group interview with the consulting physicians was conducted and analysed to describe the development of the service and the challenges experienced.ResultsFrom December 2009 until August 2016, a total of 4195 calls were registered from palliative patients and their carers. The service was utilized most frequently by informal caregivers of patients (80%), pain was the most commonly recorded symptom (24%), and suggestions were mainly provided about general medicine (31%). The service providers are facing many challenges but they are motivated by the positive feedback from patients and carers and by the ability to at least do something.ConclusionThe TCS developed at CPC is a convenient way of delivering advice to palliative patients and their families in rural areas of Bangladesh, where the PC service is not available.

OP128 Evaluating The NPS MedicineWise Medicines Information Phone Service

Introduction:The NPS MedicineWise pharmacist-delivered phone service, Medicines Line, aims to provide evidence-based medicines information to consumers. We evaluated outcomes of the Medicines Line, including common consumer inquiries and resultant decision-making, and explored consumer motivations for seeking medicines information.Methods:The evaluation involved conducting paper-based and telephone surveys of a sample of 200 Medicines Line callers, and semi-structured telephone interviews of a subset of twenty callers. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS software. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis.Results:Preliminary analysis found that the majority of callers thought the Medicines Line had improved their knowledge (ninety-six percent), confidence (eighty-two percent) and decision-making (eighty-nine percent). The most common reasons for calling the Medicines Line were inquiries about side effects or medicine compatibility. The medicines most commonly asked about were antidepressants (twenty percent), analgesics (thirteen percent) and antibiotics (nine percent). Questions about sertraline accounted for thirty-six percent of antidepressant inquiries. Interview themes regarding motivations for using the service included: trust; efficiency and convenience; specialized drug knowledge; and reporting adverse drug reactions to protect others from medicine-related harm. Medicines Line was perceived to be especially useful as an alternative to family physician or specialist consultations when consumers had a non-urgent inquiry about a medicine, and as a service to provide medicines information in remote communities.Conclusions:These results indicate that pharmacist-delivered medicines information telephone services are an effective and efficient way of handling medicines inquiries. Medicines information telephone services are effective in improving health literacy, by increasing callers’ knowledge and confidence to source evidence-based medicines information and improving their ability to make informed decisions about medicine use. This evaluation identified knowledge gaps in medicine side effects and antidepressant use. Identifying such knowledge gaps may be useful in informing future health professional education programs, community campaigns, and shared decision-making resources.