Int J Pharm Pract 1999;7:188-91]

Department of Medicine (Geriatrics), Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, England NE1 4LP
H. A. Wynne, MD, FRCP consultant physician and senior lecturer
M. Dorward, BSc, research nurse

Correspondence: Dr Wynne h.a.wynne@ncl.ac.uk

Original Papers

Patient awareness of the adverse effects of aspirin and non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

H. A. WYNNE and M. DORWARD

Objective - To determine the extent to which patients reported having been informed about the adverse effects of aspirin and non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Method - Questionnaire survey of 26 patients who had suffered an acute gastrointestinal bleed while taking aspirin, and 100 patients who had suffered an acute gastrointestinal bleed while taking a non-aspirin NSAID.
Setting - Admissions to three United Kingdom hospitals. Patients were identified from endoscopy clinic records.
Key findings - Five (19 per cent) of the aspirin-treated patients and 45 (45 per cent) of the non-aspirin NSAID-treated patients remembered having been informed of potential adverse effects, an odds ratio of 3.4 (95 per cent confidence interval 1.2-9.8, P<0.05). Five (19 per cent) of the aspirin-treated patients recalled having been advised what to do should adverse symptoms develop, whereas 44 (44 per cent) of the non-aspirin NSAID-treated patients did so, an odds ratio of 3.3 (95 per cent CI 1.2-9.5, P<0.05). Three (12 per cent) of aspirin-treated patients reported having been given an information leaflet, whereas 29 (29 per cent) of non-aspirin NSAID-treated patients did so, an odds ratio of 3.1 (95 per cent CI 0.9-11.2, P=0.08).
Conclusion - Our results suggest that aspirin-treated patients are less informed about their drug than are patients taking non-aspirin NSAIDs, in spite of the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding with which aspirin is associated.