Patients Leaving Hospitals In Dark
A new study suggests a significant percentage of patients discharged from hospitals may not be aware of vital information about their diagnoses and follow-up care.
The study, in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, looked at 43 patients at the time of discharge from a municipal teaching hospital, and determined whether they knew their diagnoses, treatment plan, and common side effects of their prescribed medications.
The answers, observes The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay, were a lot less than satisfactory.
Some 62 percent of the patients were unable to relate the purpose of their medications; 86 percent didn't know the common side effects of the drugs; and about 58 percent of the patients were unable to give their diagnosis.
The researchers say the study highlights the need for more effort by both doctors and patients to make sure instructions are fully understood and followed, to ensure proper care. Patients are responsible for following treatment instructions, Senay explains, but communication from doctors and other health-care providers needs to improve to meet the needs of the patient.
If patients don't understand the requirements of their continuing medical care, Senay continues, they may not follow the correct treatment plans, once they leave the hospital. That could result in readmission to the hospital with more health problems, incurring additional health-care costs. Misuse of medications can lead to failure to achieve the desired result or undesirable or dangerous side effects.
An editorial in the journal asserts these issues of patient understanding should be considered another vital sign, along with pulse, blood pressure, etc., because setbacks in treatment can result in serious health problems as easily as deterioration of the other vital signs.
One researcher cautions that language and cultural differences need to be properly understood and addressed. Doctors need to speak to a patient in terms the patient understands and try to prescribe treatment plans that can be followed without too much disruption to a patient's daily routine. Age and education levels are also factors in effective communication. Further study is needed to see if other factors might also be at play.
The researchers say other efforts should include more public education on the issues, better instructions for prescription drugs, and better labeling for drug containers.