New Educational Campaign Seeks to Increase Patient and Healthcare Provider Communication about Prescription Medicines

Talk Before You Take Campaign Launches in Response to New Research Showing Communication Gaps

 

Rockville, MD (January 28, 2015) – New public research shows that there are gaps in communication between healthcare providers and patients about the benefits and potential risks of prescription medicines. Nearly half of Americans are taking prescription medicines, and over 20 percent of Americans take at least three. Yet research shows that approximately 62 percent of patients are not aware of any safety warnings about their medicines, and 10 percent of patients unaware of the possibility of a severe reaction or side effect to any of the medicines they are taking actually experience a serious drug reaction. Visit PRNewswire.

 

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​​Press Release(click to download PDF)

 

May 8, 2015

The Best Medicine: A Good Relationship with your Doc

The Baltimore Sun

Op-Ed By Dr. G. Caleb Alexander is co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness and Elizabeth Keyes, RPh is chief operating officer of the American Pharmacists Association and BeMedWise Chair. Both authors are advisors to Talk Before You Take, a national educational campaign from BeMedWise and the FDA designed to encourage increased communications between healthcare providers and patients about their prescription medicines.

 

Talk Before You Take When Dealing With Medicine

NewsUSA

Experts say communication is key when dealing with prescription medicine.

 

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TALK BEFORE YOU TAKE FAQs

 

What is the National Council on Patient Information and Education?

Organized in 1982, the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) was a nonprofit coalition of diverse organizations committed to promoting the wise use of medicines through trusted communication for better health. In July 2018, the operation of NCPIE and its programs, including ground-breaking research on patient-healthcare provider engagement and medicine communication, were assumed by NeedyMeds. For more information, visit BeMedWise.org.

 

What is the Talk Before You Take campaign?

Talk Before You Take is a research-based public education campaign designed to encourage and increase communications between healthcare providers (HCP) and patients about their medicines.

 

The campaign was developed by BeMedWise, formerly known as National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), with support from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As part of the campaign, BeMedWise is partnering with key stakeholder organizations to promote the campaign and disseminate educational materials designed for HCPs and patients. In addition, the campaign will be supported by media outreach and the creation of a website that will serve as a resource for patients and HCPs where they can download free educational materials.

 

More information is available at TalkBeforeYouTake.org.

 

What is the goal of the Talk Before You Take campaign?

The goal of the campaign is to stimulate effective communication about the benefits and potential risks of prescription medicines between patients and their HCPs to help ensure safe use. Such communication can help patients avoid adverse drug events, improve medicine adherence, and live healthier lives. BeMedWise seeks to reach patients, especially those with multiple chronic conditions who require treatment with prescription medicines, and primary HCPs (including primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) who prescribe many of those medicines.

 

What research informed the development of the campaign?

Research was conducted by Ipsos Healthcare, a global independent market research company, with input from the Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness (CDSE), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Approximately 2,000 patients and 800 healthcare professionals across the U.S. were reached via surveys, representing individuals and their caregivers, pharmacists in community-based retail settings, and prescribers, including primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

 

What does the research demonstrate about the communication gap between patients and their HCPs?

The research shows that prescribers (primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) are patients’ and caregivers’ primary sources of prescription safety information, but HCPs underestimate their influence, believing instead that patients rely more on pharmacists and the Internet. Even when patients and caregivers receive risk and safety information, they may not remember the specifics. These disconnects illustrate the opportunity for HCPs and their patients and caregivers to initiate more focused conversations about prescription medicines. Some of the main research takeaways include:

 

• While 85% of HCPs report their patients adhere to their treatment plans, only 56% of patients report high to very high adherence to treatment regimens.
• Approximately 62% of patients and caregivers are not aware of any safety warnings about their medicines.
• 10% of patients unaware of the possibility of a severe reaction or side effect to any of the medicines they take actually experience a serious drug reaction.i
  
  

What do patients and caregivers need to know about communicating with their HCPs about prescription medicines, and where can they learn more?

While prescribers and pharmacists help patients manage their prescriptions, patients and caregivers are responsible for following recommended treatment plans. Patients and caregivers need to ensure that they fully understand the benefits, potential risks, and other important information about their treatment plans. The following tips can help guide these conversations:

 

1. Talk to your HCP and ask questions about the benefits and potential risks of prescription medicines you take.
2. Tell your HCP about all of the medicines you are taking—including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and dietary supplements.
3. Tell your HCP about any allergies or sensitivities that you may have.
4. Read and follow the medicine label and directions.
   
   

Patients and caregivers should always follow up with their HCP if questions or concerns remain after their initial visit. A comprehensive list of questions to ask about prescription medicines is also available along with other resources on TalkBeforeYouTake.org.

 

What organizations are involved in the campaign, and how are they promoting it?

BeMedWise has convened a multi-stakeholder project advisory team to provide expert guidance for communicating essential medicine safety and risk information. In addition, BeMedWise is partnering with key patient and HCP stakeholder organizations to promote the campaign and disseminate educational materials for HCPs and patients through member outreach, social media, organizations’ websites, and the campaign website TalkBeforeYouTake.org.

 

What resources are available to patients, caregivers, and HCPs, and where can they go for more information about the campaign?

Visit TalkBeforeYouTake.org for information on how to enhance communication between patients, caregivers, and HCPs. The website also houses the following free information and downloadable resources:

• For patients and caregivers: a brochure with tips on how to communicate about prescription medicines and questions to ask HCPs about their medicines and a poster with communication tips
• For HCPs: a one-pager with information about the importance of addressing benefits, potential risks, and other key points in communications with patients
• Video: brief video describes the common experience of patients who have questions about their medicines after leaving their HCPs’ offices and encourages them to talk to and call their healthcare providers.
  
  Talk Before You Take  FAQ(click to download PDF)

 

i Ipsos Healthcare. “Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Concerning Risk and Safety Information of Medicines: A Survey of patients/Patients and HCPs in the U.S.” An Internal Report (supported by FDA CDER Grant number 5U18FD004653). 2013. Washington, DC.