Patient care telephone calls received in family practice offices

The majority of patients care calls referred to practitioners at each of two family practice office study sites were related to medications. However, there were significant differences in the proportion of patient care calls managed by staff physicians, family practice residents, and clinical pharmacists which involved discussion of medication. There were also significant differences in the callers and types of medication related calls managed by each practitioner group. Calls initiated by patients and those classified as refill requests accounted for the largest proportion of calls managed by staff physicians, residents, and clinical pharmacists. The majority of calls received by each practitioner group were managed without consultation. A follow-up office visit was recommended in approximately one half of all medication related calls. The findings of this study may be useful in determining the personnel required to manage medication related telephone calls and in identifying potential areas for education and training of personnel in family practice.