Contribution of Phone Follow-up to Improved Adherence to Oral Osteoporosis Treatment

Objectives: Therapeutic adherence is insufficient among patients taking oral antiosteoporosis treatments. This work examined the usefulness of a telephone follow-up to enhance patient adherence. Study Design: A prospective randomized controlled trial. Methods: This trial was conducted in 1 center, including post menopausal patients attending a rheumatology outpatient clinic or day hospital for fracture. In both settings, patients were randomized to the intervention group (regular telephone follow-up) or the control group (no telephone follow-up). During the 1-year followup, medical secretaries contacted the patients in the intervention group every 2 months by telephone. The calls were designed to detect problems of adherence and help patients resolve them. Therapeutic adherence was assessed 1 year after treatment onset. Results: The study included 164 patients: 67 recruited during outpatient visits (ie, medical consultations) and 97 during day hospital stays. Most patients had a prescription for bisphosphonate (taken weekly) or strontium ranelate. Fifteen patients dropped out of the study during the course of the follow-up. Among patients recruited during outpatient visits, 66.6% were adherent in the intervention group versus 29.4% in the control group (P <. 01). Among patients recruited during day hospital stays, 63% were adherent in the intervention group versus 35.4% in the control group (P <. 01). Conclusions: These results support the use of regular telephone follow-up for osteoporosis patients and the use of this strategy in routine clinical practice, particularly for patients receiving care in a dedicated healthcare setting.