Study: Explanation of Medication Benefits, Harm May Improve Patients' Choice of Drug

Researchers suggest that a simple explanation of the benefits and harms of a medication could improve a patient's drug of choice, according to a Dartmouth College release.

Previous research suggests the FDA's approval of a drug does not necessarily ensure that a drug has a large or important benefit or that all serious adverse effects of the drug are known. Uncertainties about a drug are greatest in the first few years after approval and for drugs approved solely on the basis of a surrogate outcome, researchers said.

 



In an Internet-based, randomized, controlled trial of nearly 3,000 participants, researchers found 25 percent of participants mistakenly believed the FDA approves only drugs without serious side effects. Results also showed more than one-third mistakenly believed that the FDA approves only "extremely effective" drugs.

Researchers recommended that physicians provide a brief and simple explanation about the known benefits and harms of a drug and that the FDA more effectively communicate what it knows and does not know about a drug's effectiveness.

Related Articles on Medication Safety:

Study: Medication Study Results May Be Misleading
Johns Hopkins Research Suggests Temporary ED Personnel May Increase Risk of Patient Harm
Study: Discharged ICU Patients at Increased Risk of Unintentionally Discontinuing Medication

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