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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 27, 2000
PATIENT
EDUCATION CAN REDUCE COSTS & DEATHS
FROM MEDICATION ERRORS, DR. DOROTHY L. SMITH
TELLS PATIENT SAFETY CONFERENCE
BETHESDA, MD–Today's
consumer "is probably the most important member of the
health team because the consumer will decide if, how and when
to take a medication after it has been prescribed," said
Dr. Dorothy L. Smith, President of Consumer Health Information
Corporation. In fact, she said, this decision-making power
"is one of the most complicated problems confronting
our health care system."
Speaking at a March 27th
conference sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
and the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), Dr. Smith
addressed the theme, "Don't Point Fingers–Safe
Medical Treatments: Everyone Has A Role." She noted, "Without
adequate information, consumers are going to make serious
home medication errors. With adequate information, consumers
are going to manage their medications safely…and the
health care system will work."
Consumers are capable of making
wise decisions about their medications, but they need to be
well-informed about the risks associated with taking a medication,
Dr. Smith said. The problem is that "too many people
are trying to manage their drug therapies without sufficient
information and guidance." The result, she said, is that
"50% of all prescription drugs are not being taken correctly
and people are suffering needlessly from the treatments which
are supposed to help them."
"Patients are being admitted
to the hospital today because they have not been told how
to manage adverse effects of their medications," Dr.
Smith said. "I believe that more people are dying from
home medication errors than the 96,000 deaths recently reported
due to medication errors in hospitals." However, she
went on, "we know that patient education works. Research
shows that home medication errors fall dramatically (up to
50%) and people have fewer side effects, fewer doctor visits,
fewer hospital admissions … and a higher quality of life
when patients are given the information they need to take
a drug safely."
This has become a public health
issue because we now spend as much money to treat the complications
of home medication errors as we do to purchase all the medications
in this country, Dr. Smith pointed out. The cost of home medication
errors actually soars past $180 billion a year when we include
the costs to an employer for such things as absenteeism and
on-the-job injuries.
The way to make the system work,
said Dr. Smith, is to include patients "as important
members of the ‘medication management team.' Patients
need the information explained to them in person–not
just handed a sheet of written instructions…We also need
to recognize that doctors and pharmacists have serious time
restrictions and do not have time to counsel every patient
because of reimbursement problems in the ‘system.'
They need high-quality patient counseling tools that will
help them counsel patients in a minimum amount of time."
The starting point for many of
the patient education programs developed by Consumer Health
Information Corporation is the Patient Package Insert (PPI)–a
short medication instruction sheet written in language the
average consumer can understand, she said. "One message
that consumers need to hear is that they can trust the information
in a PPI. In fact, it is probably the most accurate information
available for a specific drug and has been reviewed for clinical
accuracy and fair balance by FDA… More than once I've
wondered if it might be a valuable service to consumers if
FDA were to allow pharmaceutical companies to prominently
note on the PPI that the information has been reviewed by
FDA and approved as accurate."
"Every person involved in
the delivery of drug therapy is trying to do their best,"
Dr. Smith said. Unfortunately, each part of the health care
system has its own challenges. For instance, physicians and
pharmacists face serious time restrictions and lack of reimbursement
for the types of counseling needed to make drug therapy safer
and more effective.
In addition, pharmaceutical companies
"foot the bill" for many patient education programs
used by health professionals. But "too many companies
try to apply advertising techniques to patient education,"
Dr. Smith said. "The Madison Avenue approach that works
so well for cars and breakfast cereals just does not work
for medications." Consumers are looking for "practical
and useful" information that will help them decide if
they want to take the medication and, if so, what they can
do to help make the therapy as safe as possible.
And, finally, she said, "people
do not ask questions when they don't feel they know enough
about the subject." This does not mean consumers are
stupid–they "just need some guidance and background
information" so they are better informed.
The reality, she said, is that
"when a person is not well-informed and motivated to
manage the treatment in a safe and wise manner, the cost of
the treatment goes up for both the consumer and the health
care insurance plan. The answer is to educate people so they
can learn how to manage their medications wisely and safely."
Founded in 1983 by Dr. Dorothy
L. Smith, Consumer Health Information Corporation is unique
because it has 20 years of actual clinical experience in counseling
patients about their medications. Dr. Smith is an internationally
recognized expert in patient education, patient compliance
and behavior modification programs.
The organization's team
of distinguished clinicians, patient education experts, and
award-winning designers produce a broad range of print and
audiovisual programs which have helped millions of people
learn to make wise decisions about their health and medications.
With a reputation for quality and credibility, these programs
are developed for consumer organizations and publications,
major pharmaceutical companies, Fortune 500 companies, managed
care organizations, insurance companies, and pharmacies.
www.consumer-health.com
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