NCPIE's New Patient Education Program about OTC Medications

A survey was conducted of American consumers and health professionals in late 2001 about the use of over-the-counter medicines. Findings of A Dose of Reality include the following:

• Americans routinely self-medicate with OTC medications.
• They need more guidance on how and when to take them.
• They overlook important label information.
• They take too much or mix drugs inappropriately.
• New easy-to-read label information and healthcare practitioner involvement will help patients understand risks and benefits of OTC medications.

Be MedWise is a public education initiative by the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE)—a nonprofit coalition of over 150 government, consumer, patient advocacy, and public health organizations. Be MedWise seeks to promote a better understanding that over-the-counter (OTC) drug products are serious medicines and must be taken with care. Their website offers information to educate patients, including: Know your medicine. Knowing the active ingredients in medicines will help people avoid overmedicating because they won't combine drugs with the same active ingredients. How to read a drug label. This guide explains that all labels must list the active ingredients and provide their basic information, and it shows where this information can be found. How to read a label can be found at http://www.bemedwise.org/readlabel.html. More information and the survey results can be found at http://bemedwise.org/. Return to Top