Many Seniors Report Not Talking to Docs About Rx Medications
<p>According to <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=26817&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D464286%26%23doc464286">survey results</a> published in the <em>Journal of General Internal Medicine,</em> an alarmingly high number of elderly Americans are not talking to their physicians about problems they are having with prescription medications, including unwelcome side effects, affordability, or perceived efficacy.<br><br>The study, conducted by researchers at Tufts-New England Medical Center, The Commonwealth Fund, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, found a wide communication gap between physicians and elderly patients. One-third of all seniors surveyed had not talked to their doctors about all of their medicines in the past 12 months. Overall, 40 percent of seniors reported not adhering to doctor's orders regarding their medication regimens, with noncompliance even greater among seniors who reported three or more chronic conditions.<br><br>Patients who did discuss the cost of their prescribed drugs with their physicians were more likely to be switched to lower-cost alternatives. This finding, the authors say, "suggests such discussions are worth having."</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2007/feb/many-seniors-report-not-talking-to-docs-about-rx-medications