Ineffective doc counseling may result in poor patient adherence

Ineffective doc counseling may result in poor patient adherence

Ineffective physician counseling could contribute to poor patient adherence to medications, according to a study in the September 25 Archives of Internal Medicine. Moreover, patients who report better physician communication are more adherent, the authors said. The study showed that physicians often don't convey important information to patients when prescribing medicines, including information about side effects or even the name of the drug. The researchers studied 44 physicians prescribing 243 new medicines during 185 outpatient visits. Physicians used the specific name of the drug for 74% of new prescriptions and explained the purpose of the drug for 87%. However, they only discussed adverse events for 35% of prescriptions, and included instructions for how long to take the drug during only 34% of encounters. Go to the Archives of Internal Medicine Web site for more information. <http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/166/17/1855>