Contacting Patients with Unclaimed Prescriptions: The Pharmacist's Impact on Drug Therapy Concordance

Objectives Nonadherence to medication therapy may lead to poor control of chronic medical conditions and unnecessary utilization of health care services. Prescriptions that are filled but remain unclaimed are a marker for patient non-concordance with their medication regimens. This study evaluated the pharmacist's impact on concordance by contacting patients about their unclaimed prescriptions. Methods Prescriptions that were not picked up within 2 weeks of the date they were filled were reviewed by a pharmacist. Medications used for chronic disease states were targeted. Patients were called and asked a standard set of openended questions about their reasons for failing to pick up the medications. They were also asked if any doses were missed and if they had experienced side effects from the medications. They were counseled on the importance of compliance and encouraged to pick up their prescriptions. Some patients had valid reasons for not picking up their medications. The prescriptions were eventually categorized as “claimed” or “never claimed.” Results During the 29-week study period, there were 177 unclaimed prescriptions for chronic conditions among 141 patients. The pharmacist was able to communicate with 72 patients. From the sample of patients contacted, 45% of patients picked up their prescriptions after our intervention. The proportion of patients who picked up their medications was significantly greater (p < 0.005) when the pharmacist spoke to them, rather than leaving a telephone message. Conclusion The pharmacist can play an important role by educating patients, encouraging them to pick up their medications, and resolving barriers that prevent them from adhering to their drug regimens.