Do physicians tell patients enough about prescription drugs? Do patients think so?

Abstract

It seems likely that consumer experience in receiving information about prescription drugs will change significantly as a result of the efforts of various professional, governmental, industrial, and voluntary organizations. Two surveys sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration compose part of these efforts. One provides a picture of how patients believe they are being informed about the drugs prescribed for them, what kinds of information they are getting, and what sources they use to obtain information; the other yields data concerning the physicians' and pharmacists' perspective. The two surveys point up intriguing and important differences between patients' and health care providers' perceptions of the drug information process.