Patients don’t report OTC painkillers, even if asked

“What drugs are you taking?” — Is there something patients don’t understand about the question? 

Patients underreported their use of common but potentially dangerous over-the-counter pain medications known as NSAIDs, according to research presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

Why do they hide the fact they they are taking over-the-counter pain killers? Apparently, they don’t think it’s a big deal, even if they are taking them daily.

Dr. Johnson and his colleagues at Eastern Virginia Medical School administered a survey to patients in a private GI practice after a written and verbally confirmed report of current medications to nursing staff. Almost one in five respondents to the survey noted use of an NSAID that had not been reported verbally to nursing staff, including 8 percent who reported daily use. For 22 percent of respondents, they did not think the medications were important enough to list, while 30 percent cited the fact that the drugs were not prescribed by a physician. “This reflects a common misperception that these medications are insignificant or benign when actually their chronic use, particularly among the elderly and those with conditions such as arthritis, is linked to serious and potentially fatal GI injury and bleeding,” noted Dr. Johnson.

2 studies highlight the risks and significant health-care costs of NSAIDs injury [Via Eurekalert]

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From Medical Economics magazine, more on patient relations ...

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