Unclaimed prescriptions: an overlooked opportunity.

Unclaimed prescriptions are an overlooked component of medication noncompliance. Of 21 pharmacies surveyed for prescriptions unclaimed for 30 days or more, pharmacies averaged 21.4 prescriptions each (450 total), with the mean age of 45.6 days. More than 50% of unclaimed prescriptions were new phoned-in prescriptions. Anti-infective agents were the largest class of unclaimed medications, followed by analgesics and respiratory agents. Pharmacists can use unclaimed prescriptions as a basis for increasing their patient-oriented services.