ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Little information exists concerning the amount of information patients aspects from physicians as to the risk for an adverse reaction of medication. The present study was designed to determine such opinions in a population sample and to determine whether patients believe Physicians should use discretion in the amount of such information given. METHODS: Five hundred fifty sequential adults visiting outpatient clinics filled out a 9-item questionnaire. The percentage of subjects desiring information about varying degrees of risk and those believing physicians should and should not use discretion in the amount of such information provided were recorded. The results were correlated with demographic variables and Previous experience of adverse effects. RESULTS: Among the respondents, 56.6% desired to be told of all possible adverse effects; 13.8% only if an adverse effect occurred in 1 out of 100,000; and 26.3% only if such occurrence was 1 in 100, 3.3% were not interested in any information. The Percentages were closely similar to those for the same question that restricted opinion to serious adverse effects. The opinion that physicians should give the same information to all patients comprised 41.8% of the sample, and 83.4% opinioned that physicians were never justified in withholding any information. CONCLUSIONS: Many individuals desire all information concerning possible adverse effects of prescribed medication from physicians and agree that the Physician use judgement on the amount of information given, but do not consider the physician to be justified in withholding information.