Patients complain about low medication education

Every tenth patient feels inadequately informed about medication by his doctor.

(08.08.2010) Approximately one in ten patients, according to the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), feels insufficiently informed by the family doctor about the use and side effects of medication. This has resulted in a study of the TK-Krankenkasse on the patient-physician relationship.

Many patients feel insufficient about medication by the attending physician. One in ten health insured could give in a survey of the health insurance no information about whether and to what extent the family doctor has informed about modes of action, possible side effects or drug interactions. One in five respondents stated that the doctor had only laconically informed about side effects or interactions.

Everyone knows the drug advertisement on German television: One should one „Doctor or pharmacist ask“. But as the TK study shows, the information of doctors are often more than poor. Especially with medicines, it is important that they are taken according to the respective regulations. This also depends on the success of a therapy. Tim Steimle, a pharmacist at the Techniker Krankenkasse, explained this: "In hardly any medical field, the success of the therapy depends so much on the participation of the patients as on the medicines". It is therefore important "that people know why they need to take the medicine, what effect it has and what side effects may occur." (Sb)