Communicating non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug risks: verbal counseling, written medicine information, and patients' risk awareness.
OBJECTIVE
To assess potential associations among physician counseling, pharmacist counseling, written medicine information (WMI) and patient awareness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) risks.


METHODS
Three-hundred and eighty-two older, white and African American patients prescribed NSAIDs were surveyed regarding their NSAID risk awareness defined as an index score ranging from zero to four correctly identified risks (i.e., gastrointestinal bleeding, heart attack, hypertension, and kidney disease). Associations among NSAID risk awareness and patient-reported physician counseling, pharmacist counseling, and reading of WMI were evaluated in multivariable ordered logistic regression models and confirmed using path analysis.


RESULTS
Physician counseling was positively associated with reading WMI (p<0.001) and NSAID risk awareness (p<0.001). Pharmacist counseling was not associated with reading WMI (p=0.622) and neither pharmacist counseling (p=0.366) nor reading WMI (p=0.916) was associated with NSAID risk awareness.


CONCLUSIONS
Physicians play a prominent role in facilitating NSAID risk awareness whereas pharmacist counseling and WMI may have limited impact.


CONCLUSIONS
The lack of significant associations among pharmacist counseling and reading WMI with NSAID risk awareness suggests a missed opportunity to improve patient understanding. There is a need for coordinated and effective strategies to communicate risk information among physicians and pharmacists and to better integrate WMI into this process.
VA Butler Healthcare, Butler, PA, USA. michael-schmitt@ouhsc.edu
Michael R
MR
Schmitt
Michael J
MJ
Miller
Donald L
DL
Harrison
Kevin C
KC
Farmer
Jeroan J
JJ
Allison
Daniel J
DJ
Cobaugh
Kenneth G
KG
Saag
D000368:Aged; D000407:Alabama; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003142:Communication; D003376:Counseling; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004348:Drug Labeling; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010595:Pharmacists; D010820:Physicians; D012306:Risk; D057566:Self Report; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014956:Writing
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal