Information and Communication on Risks Related to Medications and Proper Use of Medications for Healthcare Professionals and the General Public: Precautionary Principle, Risk Management, Communication During and in the Absence of Crisis Situations

¹ CHU et Université de Bordeaux, Département de pharmacologie, Bordeaux, France
² Laboratoire AstraZeneca France, Direction médicale Rueil-Malmaison, France
³ AP-HP, Département de la recherche clinique et du développement, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France
⁴ CHU de Tours, Tours, France
⁵ Sunivion Pharmaceuticals, Marlborough MA, USA
⁶ Laboratoire Sanofi Aventis, Paris, France
⁷ CIC, CPCET, CHU Timone, AP-HM, Marseille, France
⁸ Le Monde, Paris, France
⁹ Direction générale de la santé, Paris, France
¹⁰ Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
¹¹ Laboratoire Bristol Myers Squibb, Paris, France
¹² MGersberg Conseil, Chatou, France
¹³ Laboratoire Lundbeck, Issy les Moulineaux, France
¹⁴ CHU, Nantes, France
¹⁵ SFPT, Croissy sur Seine, France
¹⁶ Hotel Dieu, AP-HP, Paris, France
¹⁷ Laboratoire Norgine, Rueil Malmaison, France
¹⁸ Cabinet médical, Saint Epain, France
¹⁹ Laboratoire Janssen Cilag, Issy les Moulineaux, France
²⁰ Hôpital Saint Louis, AP-HP, Paris, France

Correspondance and offprints: Mathieu Molimard, Département de pharmacologie, Université de Bordeaux, Case 36, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France. E-mail : mathieu.molimard@u-bordeaux.fr

Received: 20 March 2014
Accepted: 27 May 2014

Abstract

Recent drug crises have highlighted the complexity, benefits and risks of medication communication. The difficulty of this communication is due to the diversity of the sources of information and the target audience, the credibility of spokespersons, the difficulty to communicate on scientific uncertainties and the precautionary principle, which is influenced by variable perceptions and tolerances of the risk. Globally, there is a lack of training in risk management with a tendency of modern society to refuse even the slightest risk. Communication on medications is subject to regulatory or legal requirements, often uses tools and messages that are not adapted to the target audience and is often based on a poor knowledge of communication techniques. In order to improve this situation, the available information must be coordinated by reinforcing the unique medication information website and by coordinating communication between authorities by means of a single spokesperson. A particular effort must be made in the field of training in the proper use and risk of medications for both the general population and patients but also for healthcare professionals, by setting up a unified academic on-line teaching platform for continuing medical education on medications and their proper use.