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A study published in the September 25, 2006 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine has found that when physicians prescribe new medications to their patients, they don’t always provide enough information about the drugs.
The investigators rated physicians on how well they communicated the following five informational elements (% in parentheses are the observed frequencies of communication):
Name of the drug (74%)
Reason for taking it (87%)
Duration of use (34%)
Adverse effects (35%)
Number of tablets/sprays (55%) and frequency or timing of administration (58%)
On average, physicians communicated 3.1 of 5 elements that were deemed to be critical to patient understanding.
While the study has certain limitations, there is important information here for you to use. You can copy down these five elements and bring them with you when visiting your physician. Make sure that all five elements have been covered and that you fully understand each one.
By: Ed Zimney, M.D.
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