Drug information for patients: bringing together the messages from prescriber, pharmacist and manufacturer.

Patients may receive information about their medicine from the prescriber, the pharmacist and the manufacturer (in a package insert). If it is to be used effectively, all this information must be integrated: the different sources should complement, and not seem to contradict one another. Prescribers and pharmacists should therefore have at hand the text of any package inserts that patients will receive with prescribed medicines. In addition, doctors might be helped by an aide-mémoire, reminding them about the information which a patient needs to have about a medicine. Methods for improving patients' use of such information are also summarized.