Research ArticleOriginal Research

Pharmacy Clarification of Prescriptions Ordered in Primary Care: A Report from the Applied Strategies for Improving Patient Safety (ASIPS) Collaborative

Laura B. Hansen, Douglas Fernald, Rodrigo Araya-Guerra, John M. Westfall, David West and Wilson Pace
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine January 2006, 19 (1) 24-30; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.19.1.24

Article Figures & Data

Tables

  • Table 1.
  • Table 2.

    Types of Clarification Needed in Pharmacy Callbacks

    Clarification TypeNumber of Calls (Percentage of All Calls)*
    Administrative
        Prior authorization209 (37)
        Formulary148 (26)
        Other94 (17)
        Refills†62 (11)
        Total394 (69)
    Clinical
        Dosage117 (21)
        Sig (instructions)54 (10)
        Amount32 (6)
        Type (route)17 (3)
        Illegible11 (2)
        Total191 (34)

    • * Combined totals of administrative and clinical reasons for callbacks are greater than 100% because each call could involve multiple types of clarification.

    • † Wrong or unspecified refills (eg, number of refills not documented).

  • Table 3.

    Drug Classes Most Frequently Recorded for Pharmacy Callbacks

    Broad Drug Classn (%)
    Gastrointestinal agents122 (21.5)
    Cardiovascular agents79 (13.9)
    Analgesics and anesthetics74 (13.1)
    Respiratory agents71 (12.5)
    Central nervous system drugs71 (12.5)
    Endocrine and metabolic drugs60 (10.6)
    Anti-infective agents31 (5.5)
    Topical products16 (2.8)
    Genitourinary products16 (2.8)
    Neuromuscular drugs12 (2.1)
    Miscellaneous products7 (1.2)
    Nutritional products6 (1.1)
    Hematological agents1 (0.2)
    Unable to classify (drug not recorded)1 (0.2)
    Total567 (100)
  • Table 4.

    Top Reasons for Callback by Drug Class

    Reason for Callback (no. of calls)Most Common DrugsPercentage of Calls (n drug/n reason)
    Prior authorization (209)Ulcer drugs43.5
    Analgesics, narcotics6.2
    Antiasthmatic5.7
    Formulary (146)Ulcer drugs37.8
    Analgesics, narcotics5.4
    Antirheumatic5.4
    Dosage (117)Antidepressants13.7
    Thyroid9.4
    Analgesics, narcotics8.5
    Other (93)Antiasthmatic10.6
    Analgesics, narcotics8.5
    Ulcer drugs7.4
    Refills (62)Analgesics, narcotics14.5
    Thyroid9.7
    Ulcer drugs8.1
    Sig* (53)Ulcer drugs13.0
    Antidiabetic9.3
    Thyroid7.4
    Amount (32)Thyroid12.5
    Analgesics, narcotics9.4
    Antidiabetic9.4
    Type (14)Dermatological17.6
    Antidepressants11.8
    Systemic and topical nasal products11.8
    Illegible (10)Ulcer drugs18.2
    Penicillins18.2
    Antihypertensive9.1

    • * Sig, directions.

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