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Medicines information over the phoneMedicines information over the phone
Medicines Line is a telephone service that provides reliable information about prescription, over-the-counter and alternative medicines to consumers. People ring Medicines Line for many reasons and for all sorts of information. In the second half of last year, 4,960 people successfully rang the service. Of those, 214 people just left a message requesting a Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) leaflet. The remaining 4,746 people spoke to a Medicines Line pharmacist. This article summarises their calls. The majority (76.5%) of callers were female. The age of callers was more evenly distributed. Only a few (4.4%) were aged under 25. Slightly more than one-third (37.6%) were aged 25–44, one-third (33.5%) were aged 45–64, and one-fifth (19.9%) were aged 65 and over. The average length of calls was 12–13 minutes.
Callers rang Medicines Line for information about...
| Their own medicines | 72.5 |
| Another person’s medicines | 27.5 |
Callers rang Medicines Line for information about...
(Top 10 categories of medicines)
| Antidepressants | 20.5 |
| Blood pressure medicines | 7.0 |
| Herbal and alternative medicines | 6.7 |
| Antipsychotic medicines | 6.0 |
| Strong prescription-only painkillers | 5.8 |
| Vaccines | 5.8 |
| Simple painkillers | 5.5 |
| Anti-anxiety medicines | 5.4 |
| Epilepsy medicines | 5.0 |
| Antacid, antireflux and ulcer medicines | 4.5 |
Callers rang Medicines Line because...
| They did not have enough information | 45.9 |
| They had a worrying symptom | 20.7 |
| They wanted an independent opinion | 10.9 |
| They had been given conflicting information | 3.7 |
| They were referred by a government information line | 2.4 |
MedicinesTalk is a free quarterly newsletter for consumers written by consumers about using medicines wisely. Subscribe to the hard copy version using our online ordering system, or write to MedicinesTalk, National Prescribing Service Limited, PO Box 1147, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012.
Date published: 2004-06-01 00:00:00
Reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the date of creation. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified health professional. Health professionals should rely on their own expertise and enquiries when providing medical advice or treatment. Where permitted by law, NPS disclaims all liability (including for negligence) for any loss, damage or injury resulting from reliance on or use of this information. Read our full disclaimer.
References to brands should not be taken as an endorsement by NPS.
