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KRYSTEL BEAUCAGE, B.PHARM., HELENE LACHANCE-DEMERS, B.PHARM., THI THANH-THAO NGO, B.PHARM., and CYNTHIA VACHON, B.PHARM., were, at the time of this study, students in the M.Sc. in Community Pharmacy Practice Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal (UM), Quebec, Canada. DIANE LAMARRE, M.SC., is Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, UM, and Pharmacist, Diane Lamarre Pharmacy, St.-Lambert, Quebec. JEAN-FRANCOIS GUEVIN, B.PHARM., M.B.A., is Pharmacist, Jean-François Guévin Pharmacy, Montreal, and Pharmacist, Montreal Children’s Hospital. ANDREE MARTINEAU, B.PHARM., is Pharmacist, Andrée Martineau Pharmacy, Laval, Quebec. DANIELLE DESROCHES, M.SC., is Pharmacist, Danielle Desroches Pharmacy, Montreal. JOELLE BRASSARD, M.SC., is Research Assistant, Research Team in Primary Care, Centre de Santé et de Services Sociaux de Laval (Cité de la Santé de Laval Hospital), Laval. LYNE LALONDE, PH.D., is Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, UM; Research Team in Primary Care, Centre de Santé et de Services Sociaux de Laval (Cité de la Santé de Laval Hospital); and Aventis Pharma Endowment Chair in Ambulatory Pharmaceutical Care, Faculty of Pharmacy, UM.

Address correspondence to Dr. Lalonde at the Research Team in Primary Care, Centre de Santé et de Services Sociaux de Laval (Cité de la Santé de Laval Hospital), 1755, boul. René-Laennec, Room D-S145, Laval, Quebec H7M 3L9, Canada (lyne.lalonde{at}umontreal.ca).

Purpose. The impact of a community pharmacist telephone follow-up intervention (PTFI) on clinical outcomes, pharmaceutical care, and costs for patients undergoing antibiotic treatment was studied. Methods. Patients receiving usual pharmacist intervention (UPI) were compared with PTFI patients in a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial. Results. Compared with the UPI group (n = 129), the PTFI group (n = 126) had more drug-related problems (DRPs) (PTFI = 53%, UPI = 8%; p < 0.001). Oral recommendations (PTFI = 52%, UPI = 6%; p < 0.001), as well as recognized (PTFI = 10%, UPI = 2%; p = 0.015) and study-specific (PTFI = 5%, UPI = 1%; p = 0.064) pharmaceutical advices, were issued for more patients. The mean difference in the change in the number of infectious symptoms between the two groups (–0.24 symptom, 95% confidence interval [CI] = –1.22 to 0.74) and the change in the infection severity score (mean difference = –0.05 unit, 95% CI = –0.35 to 0.25) were small and not statistically significant. Adherence to treatment and patient satisfaction did not differ across the two intervention groups. The incremental direct costs of the PTFI varied from $2.65 to $5.11 (Canadian dollars) per patient, depending on whether cognitive services were reimbursed. Conclusion. A telephone follow-up by community pharmacists during antibiotic therapy was simple and quick and created opportunities to intervene with patients, but it did not create a greater change in the number of infectious symptoms or the infection severity score than did usual care. Index terms: Antiinfective agents; Compliance; Costs; Economics; Interventions; Outcomes; Patient information; Patients; Pharmaceutical care; Pharmaceutical services; Pharmacists, community; Pharmacy, community; Reimbursement; Telephone