Patient Awareness of Reported Adverse Effects Associated with Proton Pump Inhibitors in a Medically Underserved Community.

Brian White,John Gaughan,Matthew Drew,Sangita Phadtare

doi:10.3390/healthcare8040499

Abstract

Reports of adverse effects associated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are concerning because of high usage and over-the-counter availability. We sought to determine the awareness of PPI adverse effects among our patient population, which is medically underserved, low-income, and racially diverse. A 21-item survey was administered to gastroenterology-clinic outpatients. It collected information about age, gender, education, race, specialty of the prescriber, specific PPI, indication, knowledge of dose, adherence, duration of use and awareness of any risks. Medical records were reviewed to verify survey responses pertaining to indication, dosing, and adherence. A vast majority (96%) of 101 participants were not aware of PPI adverse effects. In total, 63% of the patients completed a high school education or less, which was associated with a higher risk of long-term PPI use than completion of at least an undergraduate degree (p = 0.05). In contrast to other studies, the shockingly low patient awareness about PPI adverse effects in our patient population is particularly concerning, especially as it is tied to their demographic attributes. This may lead to long-term and high-dose PPI use. Our study highlights the need for effective provider-driven education regarding medication risks, especially in the communities with significant health disparities.

Highlights

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most widely prescribed medications in the world, and the increasing availability of over-the-counter (OTC) PPIs has contributed to even greater use [1,2].Their use has increased significantly over the past few years
Most (96%) of our surveyed patients reported no awareness of PPI adverse effects, and this finding suggests that current PPI patient education strategies among our study population do not emphasize associations with adverse effects
Completion of high school or less was associated with a higher risk of long-term PPI use than completion of an undergraduate degree or higher (72% versus 51%; p = 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most widely prescribed medications in the world, and the increasing availability of over-the-counter (OTC) PPIs has contributed to even greater use [1,2]. Their use has increased significantly over the past few years. Associations of PPI use with Clostridium difficile infection, pneumonia, kidney disease, dementia, decreased bone mineral density, micronutrient deficiencies, and interactions with antiplatelet agents have been reported [2,6,8,9,10,11]. At the time of Healthcare 2020, 8, 499; doi:10.3390/healthcare8040499 www.mdpi.com/journal/healthcare

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