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Patients Want to Know More

One of the consequences of the "information revolution" is a marked increase in the information needs of patients. Kansas researchers surveyed 2500 adult outpatients in a wide range of academic medical center clinics (both primary care and specialty) and asked them how much they wanted to know about adverse effects (AEs) of prescribed medication.

The subjects' average age was 47, and they were relatively well educated (mean years of education, 14.2). More than three fourths wanted to be informed of all AEs. Patients of lower educational level, those who had experienced AEs, and older women were most likely to want to be told of all AEs, no matter how rare or how insignificant. Roughly 70 percent of patients wanted physicians to give all patients the same information about AEs, irrespective of physician judgment about how much information was appropriate or needed; a similar proportion felt that physicians were never justified in withholding information about AEs.

Comment: This survey did not allow for assessment of patient perceptions about the consequences of receiving complete information on adverse effects, but patients clearly want to know more about the adverse effects of medications than physicians can, or probably want to, give. Where the most efficient and effective balance lies is unclear.

— TL Schwenk

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine April 3, 2001

Citation(s):

Ziegler DK et al. How much information about adverse effects of medication do patients want from physicians? Arch Intern Med 2001 Mar 12 161 706-713.

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