Table 1.

Problems and concerns revealed during 356 phone encounters

Results	No.
Referrals and calls
No. of patients referred to oral chemotherapy follow-up program	211
No. of chemotherapy patient cycles	495
No. of contacts attempted	377
Unable to reach patient by phone	20
Unable to communicate with patient (language barrier)	1
Problems documented
Pharmacy did not dispense drug in daily dose packs if indicated	13
Incomplete/incorrect instructions on label of vial/bottle	12
Problems with insurance including co-payment	8
Pharmacy dispensed incorrect amount of drug	6
Patient misread/misinterpreted instructions on label	6
Patient noncompliant	6
Patient/family confused and need additional help to understand instructions	5
Clarified expected adverse effects and treatment plan	5
Patient still myelosuppressed, requiring chemotherapy to be held	2
Discrepancy between prescription and planned regimen per office note	1
Total No. of problems	64

NOTE. Extracted from the oral chemotherapy phone call log for the period June 2002 to December 2003. Phone conversations are planned to take place within 24 to 48 hours of the first day of an oral chemotherapy cycle.