Conservative medication prescribing can optimize patient outcomes, researchers say
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Recently, researchers from Harvard Medical School found that implementing more conservative medication-prescribing practices could serve patients better, according to their paper in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
Lead author Gordon D. Schiff and his team reported that the majority of patients under the age of 65 receive at least one prescription drug annually. However, the authors explained that not every visit to the doctor's office needs to result in a prescription.
"We believe that the term conservative prescribing conveys an approach that goes beyond the oft-repeated physician's mantra, 'First, do no harm,'" Schiff said. "We should seek to shift the burden of proof toward demanding a higher standard of evidence of benefit before [prescribing medications]."
They added that physicians should test nonpharmacologic treatments such as trusted over-the-counter prescription drugs and communicate more effectively with patients in order to optimize outcomes.
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