Examples of issues and outcomes extracted from a random sample of pharmacist records of telephone consultations
| ID | Issues reported by the patient during first telephone consultation | Advice pharmacist recorded as given during the first telephone consultation | Outcome reported to pharmacist at follow-up consultation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 541 | Has not been taking atorvastatin for 2–3 months. Thought they were causing insomnia (took at night), and didn't think they were doing anything. Also was put off by media reports about statins in the papers. Decided that he did not want to carry on with them | Advised him to take the atorvastatin in the morning. Gave more info about the recent statin media stories and that the evidence still shows they have more benefits than risks in most patients | Has been taking them daily since the first call, and without side effects. He is happy with this, and is due soon to receive the results of his latest cholesterol test |
| 374 | Says that he misses all of his tablets (except warfarin) for a day, around once a month, intentionally (if he gets a headache, etc) as a kind of ‘detox’ | Advised that this was not necessary | He has taken the tablets without stopping since the first call |
| 111 | Had side effects with simvastatin; changed to atorvastatin; side effects not as bad, but still takes infrequently. Only takes one tablet once a week (instead of once daily) | Advised to try taking it in the morning instead of at night to see if this minimises side effects. See general practitioner (GP) if side effects persist—briefly discussed alternative options for example, ezetimibe, fibrates | Has taken a dose in the morning, every single morning since our last call. Slight leg pain but can ‘walk this off’ and is very happy with the atorvastatin tablets now and intends to continue with it each day |
| 777 | No issues with his simvastatin. But found the aspirin tablets were hard to remove from packaging sometimes | Put note on system for us to send these in bottles in future | Finds this much easier than using the blister packs |
| 630 | He is taking simvastatin 40 mg and also amlodipine (and experiences muscle aches and pains) | Asked him to ask GP if the statin should come down to 20 mg as per recent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency guidance | Found this helpful but has not made the appointment with his GP yet to discuss this |
| 872 | Does not have annual check-ups for cholesterol/liver function tests | Advised to mention to GP or diabetic nurse when next at the surgery | Has not had the opportunity to do this yet but reinforced the advice |