JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Patients with chronic non-communicable diseases require long-term adherence to medication, but this can carry a high risk of adverse drug events (ADEs). ADE monitoring relies mainly on passive methods, so we tested the viability of using an interactive voice response system (IVRS).

Objective:

Investigate the effectiveness of an IVRS in collecting ADE data from patients with hypertension or diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods:

Eligible patients with hypertension or DM were recruited from two communities to participate in a survey, provide baseline data, and complete a follow-up IVRS survey after 3 months, during which they were queried about medication-related discomfort. Community physicians and pharmacists collected information and assessed ADEs in patients reporting symptoms. We also examined whether the prevalence of call success, survey participation, and identification accuracy differed according to demographic characteristics.

Results:

We enrolled 1057 patients. The IVRS reached 759 (71.81%) of them. Of these, 477 (45.13% of enrolled, 62.85% of contacted) participated in the survey. Higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores, education levels, and health insurance were associated with a higher prevalence of participation. Complete participation in the survey was 310 (40.84% of enrolled, 64.99% of participants), but lower in patients with both hypertension and DM. The accuracy of identification by the IVRS was 94.61%, but decreased with the age of the patient. Among 110 patients reporting 150 symptoms, 63 were deemed medication-related (primarily systemic and cardiovascular damage).

Conclusions:

It is feasible to use an IVRS for active monitoring of ADEs in patients with hypertension or DM. The advantages of an IVRS are its convenience and efficiency in capturing important information, which enhances the efficiency of ADE monitoring.