Doctors fail to pass on key data to patients, study says
By Joie Guner
Sept. 28, 2006 9:00 p.m.
Patients at hospitals nationwide may not be receiving adequate
information about their prescription medicine, according to a
recent UCLA study.
“We found that physicians are often just not communicating
essential information when prescribing new medications,” said
Derjung Tarn, lead researcher and assistant professor in the
department of family medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of
Medicine.
This lack of communication can lead to patients misunderstanding
and potentially misusing the medication, the study found.
The prescriptions included dermatological medications,
antibiotics, medications for the ear, nose and throat, and other
medications.
The study, which was published in the Sept. 25 issue of the
Archives of Internal Medicine, is based on data collected at two
hospitals in Sacramento. The purpose was to determine how
effectively physicians explain to patients the name of a newly
prescribed medication, why they need to take it, how to take it,
for how long to take it, how frequently to take it, and what the
potential side effects can be.
The study was conducted using 185 patients with an average age
of 55 and a group of family doctors, internists and
cardiologists.
It was found that patients were provided with the name of the
medication in 74 percent of the prescriptions. The purpose for
taking the medication was explained to patients in 87 percent of
the prescriptions while the adverse side effects were stated in 35
percent of the prescriptions. In addition, physicians explained the
frequency that the medication should be taken in 58 percent of the
cases.
“It is clear from our study that physicians could be doing
a better job in prescribing medications and their side effects to
patients,” said John Heritage, professor in the department of
sociology and a fellow researcher.
It is important that patients know how to take medications
properly, otherwise they are not as effective and may have adverse
effects.
“One of the major ways that doctors prevent illness or
make people better is by prescribing medications,” said Neil
Wenger, professor of medicine in the division of general internal
medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and a fellow
researcher.
If instructions are not properly conveyed, then this could have
an effect on the treatment of the patient, he said.
While the investigators found that the physicians did an
effective job in educating patients about new psychiatric
medications and painkillers, they were not thorough in doing this
with other new prescriptions.
“The lack of information could potentially contribute to
patients misunderstanding how to take their medication. This is
important for patients with chronic diseases,” Tarn said.
Though patients can access information about their medications
through the Internet or from their pharmacist, Tarn said patients
may not receive adequate information through these sources
alone.
While pharmacists know the nature of the medication they are
dispensing, they do not know the patient’s medical history,
whereas the physician does.
“There are some things that don’t come on package
inserts or bottles. The pharmacist may not know what the drug is
used for because many drugs are used for more than one
condition,” she said.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Web site suggests
that patients ask their physicians questions about their medication
if they are not provided with adequate information.
“A further recommendation from the study is that if
physicians don’t provide the information voluntarily then the
patients should ask,” Heritage said.
The researchers are working on improving the communication
between physicians and patients.
“If in fact this is a major cause of patients not taking
medications properly, it’s pretty good news because
it’s an easy fix,” Wenger said.
