The Alabama NSAIDs Patient Safety Survey, Phase II: Reducing Disparities in Risk Awareness and Communication

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), expose patients to substantial risk of toxicity. Risks are compounded by the fact that patients may frequently take both Over-the-Counter (OTC) and prescription NSAIDs, a fact they often do not report to their physician. Further, our prior work suggests that African American patients may be at greater risk from NSAIDs than whites. While the consequences of unsafe NSAID use are well recognized, effective ways of improving safe use are as yet poorly established. Three findings from medical interaction research suggest that a solution may lie in improving doctor-patient communication. First, patients' communicative behaviors influence those of their doctors. Patients who actively participate by preparing beforehand for the visit, asking questions, and expressing concerns, get more information from their doctor, and in many cases receive more diagnostic and therapeutic action. Second, patients can indeed be easily taught to use active communication behaviors during medical encounters. Third, better communicators have better outcomes.A recent report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) noted that medication-related injuries are frequent, costly and in many cases preventable and strongly recommended that measures be instituted to strengthen patients' capacities for sound medication self-management and communication.