Communicating with Patients about Their Medications

Abstract

WE live at a time when consumers and patients want to know more about the food they consume and the drugs they take, and their appetite for information is growing. Yet the nation is also facing a communications gap that has serious implications for the public health. This gap extends from what patients want to know about their medicines to what they actually learn from their physicians and pharmacists. The uncertainties of patients, who receive approximately 1.5 billion prescriptions a year, contribute to the failure of many of them to benefit fully from their medications. Evidence suggests that inadequate communication . . .