Patients’ satisfaction with medication information provided by healthcare professionals and how patients search for information about prescribed medicine

Abstract

Background Providing sufficient health information is crucial for health care professionals to ensure that patients utilise prescribed medications safely and understand the benefits and risks. Insufficient information about prescriptions obligates patients to independently search for the information that they desire. Many sources can be used by patients to find information about their prescribed medicines, such as patient information leaflets, healthcare professionals, and the Internet. Patients’ satisfaction with medicine information provided by health care professionals and where patients go for more information have not been widely discussed in the literature. This study aims to investigate the extent of satisfaction patients have with their prescribed medicines information provided by healthcare professionals, and where patients go to find more information about their medicines. Methods A cross-sectional design was used that involves data collection through face-to-face survey administration. There were 57 patients over the age of 18 years, who had been prescribed with medication for a long-term condition (longer than 6 months) and included in this study. Results The majority of participants indicated a high level of satisfaction with the information received from pharmacists and general practitioners (GPs). However, approximately 42% of participants believed that medicine information provided by health care professionals was still not sufficient, and they wanted more information. Regarding the sources of information, health care professionals, pharmacists and GPs, were the most commonly used sources from which to obtain information related to their prescribed medications. Conclusion Providing patients with clear and sufficient instructions about their medications is crucial. Patients feel a high level of satisfaction with information provided by health care professionals overall; however, patients also felt they needed more information regarding their medications. These findings are discussed in relation to the implication it has for health care practice.