The Medication Information Line for the Elderly. A consumer/health care professional-oriented drug information...

The experiences of a drug information telephone service aimed at older adults, their care providers, and health care professionals are presented. The Medication Information Line for the Elderly received 1,561 telephone calls over the 12 months since its opening. The majority of callers (73%) were female and 723 (46%) of the 1,561 calls came from people in the 65 to 79 age group. Nearly one-third of all enquiries were about suspected drug-related adverse drug reactions. The drugs most commonly causing concern (as classified by the American Hospital Formulary Service) were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cardiac drugs, and benzodiazepines; a list comparable to the most frequently prescribed drugs in older adults. The pharmacist was able to respond to 853 (27%) of the 3,172 enquiries without reference material. The most frequently used sources of information were the USP Drug information, Volumes I & II, and the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties. Follow-up calls on certain consumer enquiries indicated that 89% of the recommendations were adhered to, suggesting a beneficial influence of this type of drug information service on medication use.