Physician-patient communication about dietary supplements

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Primary Care Research
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Dietary supplement use is prevalent among patients seeking primary care.
• Understanding the extent and depth of provider-patient discussions on supplements is crucial for patient safety and informed decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the content and frequency of provider-patient discussions regarding dietary supplements during primary care office visits.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 1477 transcribed audio-recorded primary care visits.
• Inclusion of patient and provider surveys.
• Data collected across diverse practice settings in the United States between 1998 and 2010.

Main Results:

• Dietary supplements were discussed in 24.2% of encounters involving 357 patients.
• Discussion topics included reason for use (46.5%), how to take (28.2%), risks (17.3%), effectiveness (16.7%), and cost (4.2%).
• An average of 1.13 topics were discussed per supplement, with more topics covered for non-vitamin/non-mineral supplements.

Conclusions:

• While some discussions occur, current provider-patient conversations about dietary supplements may be insufficient to fully inform patient decisions.
• Primary care providers are encouraged to more frequently discuss supplement risks, effectiveness, and costs to better guide patient choices.