Adverse Drug Reactions ID'd by Phone

Such ADEs, as well as medication non-adherence, occur in 25% of new prescriptions taken by ambulatory patients. They can also result in poor patient outcomes and even increased hospital admissions in some cases.

So he and co-worker Claudine Auger of Montreal, designed what they call the ISTOP-ADE System. ISTOP ADE automatically called patients on the third day, and again on the 17th day after they were given a new prescription.

Data flow through ISTOP Click to view full image

• Had a problem obtaining their medication
• Had problem taking their medication
• Encountered new symptoms
• Wanted to discuss a drug's impact with a pharmacist

Then, 21 days after the patients first received their prescription, they contacted all patients and conducted interviews to learn about their medication use, symptoms, health status and health care visits, and collated that with their electronic health record and the results of their automated calls.

The researchers identified 125 adverse drug events experienced by 125 patients, 58 of which were caught by the ISTOP-ADE system.