July 6, 2020 at 11:59 am

Clear Communication can Reduce Drug Harms

Physicians should frame treatment options by their “harms and benefits,'” not by their “risks and benefits,” according to a recent article by Dr. David J. Alfandre, an ethicist from the National Center for Ethics in Healthcare.

“Presenting treatment decisions as a comparison of risks vs. benefits creates an inherent imbalance in which benefits simply exist, whereas harms are uncertain.”

Akathisia and other serious adverse drug effects can be better identified and harms reduced when prescribers accurately communicate what patients and caregivers should look for regarding such treatment-induced harms. Read the full article at https://www.renalandurologynews.com/home/news/ethical-issues-in-medicine/explaining-treatment-risks-to-patients/?fbclid=IwAR3Vzc4qLvSAzNK3eq5gvRSQH8AkFDquKTET1KlnoGTk8Tmedms44pvDvvQ