Prescription for Doctors: Talk
to Patients About Their Meds

December 1999  -  For many people, a doctor's office visit usually ends with one or more prescriptions in hand and a trip to the drug store.  Unfortunately, almost half of all patients do not take their medications as directed.  They run the risk of jeopardizing their health and generate as much as $100 billion in health care costs per year in the United States. So why don't patients take their medicine?  One of the most common reasons given is poor communication between physicians and their patients.  John McGrath, associate professor of speech at Trinity University interviewed doctors to get their perspective on why patients do not follow their prescription drug instructions.  He also queried doctors about the best way to communicate prescription drug instructions. McGrath's study revealed that doctors tend to limit the amount of drug information they give to patients.  Doctors say that from a practical standpoint, there is just not enough time to describe all of the possible complications associated with prescription drugs.  They also say that too much information about drugs and their possible side effects will hurt the patient more than help. "Clearly, physicians do not see more information as better," says McGrath.  "Yet this goes against common sense, wisdom and, indeed, much of the literature in the field."  McGrath believes more research needs to be done to see if more prescription information is, in fact, helpful or harmful to patients. To speak to McGrath about his research on doctor-patient communication and the reasons people disregard prescription instructions, contact Russell Guerrero at (210) 999-8406 or by e-mail at rguerrer@trinity.edu.

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Last updated on June 7, 2000 by the Office of Public Relations