Greedy Trial Lawyer
The Conspiracy Of Silence May Be When You Are Handed A New Prescription
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About 35% of the time possible adverse side effects are mentioned by physicians providing a prescription for a drug new to a patient. Is it any wonder patients do not know when they are experiencing them?
Study: Doctors Don't Explain Rx Drugs
Americans are taking more and more prescription drugs, but their doctors are doing a poor job of communicating critical information about the medications they prescribe, UCLA researchers report.In a study that included surveys of both doctors and patients, as well as taped transcripts of actual office visits, the researchers concluded that all too often doctors did not tell their patients why they were prescribing specific medications.
They also frequently failed to tell them about the potential adverse side effects of the drugs they prescribed, or even the names of the drugs.
Poor communications between doctors and their patients can lead to easily avoidable prescription drug misuses, including drug overdoses and underuse.
The study used taped conversations between doctors and patients to uncover this gem in the history of doctor-patient communications:
One taped exchange, which the UCLA family practitioner described as an extreme example of the tendency toward "spotty communication" proceeded as follows:Physician: "If I'm writing antibiotics, are you allergic to penicillin?"
Patient: "No, I'm not allergic to anything."
Physician: "Okey dokey."
Nothing is "Okey dokey." about the failure of many doctors to properly explain drugs to patients. The physician is supposedly the "learned intermediary" between the drug manufacturer and the patient. It is his job to tell the patient (A) The name of the medication, and whether the drug is a trade medication or generic (B) Why the drug is being prescribed (C)How, when, and how long to take the medication (D)The drug's possible adverse side effects and what to do if side effects occur (E) When to expect the medication to work, and how to tell if it is working and (F)Foods, herbal supplements, and other medications that should be avoided while taking the drug.
Is this another Conspiracy of Silence?
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