Medication misconceptions

Misconceptions about pain management, both from patients and health care providers, are among the most common causes of analgesic failure. Some clinicians may be hesitant to treat pain because they do not believe the patient s reports of pain or feel the patient is exaggerating symptoms in order to obtain medications. Inadequate clinical knowledge of... 

CAMs represent a diverse array of nutritional supplements and other products that are used to promote health and prevent disease. Because CAMs are often derived from natural sources, patients may have certain misconceptions about the safety and efficacy of these products. CAMs are likewise not subjected to the scrutiny and control of traditional medications,... 

Many United States consumers have embraced the use of botanicals and other supplements as a "natural" approach to their health care. Unfortunately, misconceptions regarding safety and efficacy of the agents are common, and the fact that a substance can be called "natural" of course does not guarantee its safety. In fact, these products can be adulterated, misbranded, or contaminated either intentionally or unintentionally in a variety of ways. Furthermore, the doses recommended for active botanical substances may be much higher than those considered clinically safe. For example, the doses recommended for several Ma-huang preparations contain three to five times the medically recommended daily dose of the active ingredient, ephedrine—doses that impose significant risks for patients with cardiovascular disease. 

In 1922,V R. Mason (Mason, 1992) published a case review in the Journal of the American Medical Association entitled Sickle Cell Anemia, and the homozygous condition has since then been referred to by the description of the shape of the red cells seen by Dr. Irons a decade earlier In his review article, Dr. Mason promulgated the misconception that this disease was exclusively seen in persons of African origin. In 1923, Sydenstricked and colleagues reviewed the cases of two children with sickle cell disease and observed the blood smears of Caucasian and African Americans and concluded, with Mason, that sickle cell anemia was a condition peculiar to people of African descent. Neel (1949) reviewed blood smears of families with sickle cell disease over a 2-year period and correctly concluded that sickle cell anemia was a disease with Mendelian inheritance. 

There are numerous misconceptions or generalizations about placebo response. Common misconceptions include but are not limited to the following One-third of all patients respond to placebo therapy response is brief certain demographic or personality factors predict response those who respond to placebo therapy do not have medical problems and giving placebo is equivalent to no intervention. In addition, placebo response in one clinical trial or disease state does not ensure equivalent placebo response in other disease states. 

Physician education has been disease oriented rather than patient oriented. However, the need for a partnership between the physician or health professional and the patient and his/her family is increasingly recognised [95-109], The patient needs to play a role in the management process he/she wants to be informed and to be a decision-maker [105-107], The physician should have thorough discussions with patients who have superstitions, misconceptions, fears of addiction, fears about taking medications, and bias against medications [109],... 

Change of Negative Attitudes. Misconceptions are corrected, for example, that the use of an inhaler denotes severe disease or could lead to addiction. Patients should be encouraged to take their medication at the appropriate times, prior to exercise, or before expected exposure to allergens. 

Constipation is a commonly encountered medical condition in the United States for which many patients initiate self-treatment. One reason constipation continues to be a frequent problem in this country is lack of adequate dietary fiber. Another unfortunate problem is that many people have misconceptions about normal bowel function, and think that daily bowel movements are required for health and well being. Others believe that the lack of a daily bowel movement contributes to the accumulation of toxic substances or is associated with various somatic complaints. These misconceptions often lead to the inappropriate use of laxatives by the general public. 

This misconception permeates our society and may be hard to dispel because medications do indeed offer help and can actually alleviate symptoms. There are still many professionals, however, who support the contention that mental health problems are often complex and require a multifaceted intervention approach. Relying solely on medications to control or cure mental health problems is not enough. 

Kaczmarek, R., Rednarek, D., and Wong, R., Misconceptions of medical students about radiological physics. Health Phvs., 52. 106, 1987. 

Medical NMR imaging is commonly called magnetic resonance imt i (MRI) to avoid the common fear of the word nuclear and the misconception that nuclear means radioactive. There is nothing radioactive about an NMR spectrometer. In fact, MRI is the least invasive, least hazardous method available for imaging the interior of the body. The only common side effect is claustrophobia from being confined within the ring of the wide-bore magnet. 

You do not have to watch television for a long time to see a commercial promoting some sort of natural food or medication. The implication is clear natural things are somehow better than their artificially produced counterparts (Fig. 1.3). It is a widely held misconception that natural materials are safe, whereas artificial ones are dangerous ( 1.1). This is by no means tme. The psychological background of this belief will be analyzed in the next story (- 1.4), but to illustrate the point, let us look at some extremely dangerous, but without doubt natural products (—> 3.27). 

It is not yet clear how best to reach either those at risk because of extreme dietary habits or the public as a whole with meaningful information about food and nutrition. At present, the public as a whole and even the medical and teaching professions are very badly informed about food and nutrition. Misconceptions are widespread. The fact that the public receives a mass o/ conflicting information is not helpful. 

One website testimonial illustrates the benefits of this type of classroom intervention When I went back to school, two of the nurses fi om the clinic came with me to explain my illness. They brought some dolls with them so that everyone could understand, and they even showed the kids the needles that I got. They said that leukemia was not contagious, so that the kids would understand they couldn t catch it. The students asked lots of questions, like how did you get leukemia, why are your cheeks so fat and what happened to all of your hair (Fleitas, 1999). Clearly, providing students with a forum for discussing their own fears and others misconceptions about a student s illness minimizes stigma and can facilitate social interaction. Of course, children with special health care needs and their parents need to be included in any planning of educational efforts to inform other students of the nature of their medical condition in order to ensure that privacy is respected (Bowden et al., 1998). 

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