The research undertaken in this thesis was aimed at exploring the awareness and attitudes of both the Canadian public and health professionals regarding drug safety and their use of the various sources of drug risk information available in Canada. This information provides a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the risk communication tools used by Health Canada, and serves as a starting point for improvements in the communication process. The results obtained in this research provide a baseline against which future improvements to the risk communication system can be compared, thereby allowing Health Canada to guide policy changes and program improvements based on empirical evidence.
A series of case studies were examined in order to assess the impact that dear health professional letters issued in Canada had on the prescribing practice of physicians. Several studies of this nature have been conducted in the U.S., with most concluding that dear doctor letters do not have a significant impact on physician prescribing practice. The present examination of the impact that dear health professional letters have on prescribing practice in Canada is the first of its kind, and was needed in order to confirm or refute the findings of similar studies conducted elsewhere.
This research is important from a population health perspective since any changes to Health Canada's risk communication policy that results in increased awareness, increased use, or increased confidence in the risk information provided by Health Canada will, in turn, result in more appropriate prescribing practice and improved patient safety. Given that the risks posed by drugs are known to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries and that Canadians consume a large number of drugs, it follows that interventions which successfully improve drug risk communication have the potential to improve individual patient safety as well as the overall health of Canadians. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/29439 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Hogan-Gow, Victoria |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 672 p. |
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