Doctor Trust Helps Patients Stick with Meds

Depression and trust in their doctors are important factors influencing whether patients take their prescription medicines, and this may be especially true when medication costs are high, researchers report.

The study of 912 patients with diabetes found that patients who trust their doctors are more likely to take their prescription drugs, even if they have high out-of-pocket costs. Patients who don’t trust their doctors or who have depression-like symptoms are much more likely to forego doses or refills if they’re faced with high drug costs.

The findings, by researchers at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare Center and the University of Michigan (U-M), show how important the doctor-patient relationship can be when patients have to cope with high drug costs. The researchers said their study shows that doctors need to talk with patients beyond just telling patients how a medicine will help them. Doctors also need to talk to patients about their ability to pay for drugs and the availability of cheaper drugs.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 16 Aug 2005
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