Aipoh said, “When medical practices started in Nigeria, doctors behaved like lord and master and would give drugs to patients without telling them their names. Right now, what we tell our colleagues and also what they are taught in medical school is that the patient has the right to to know what he is taking.

“Apart from the patient knowing what he is taking, it also protects you as a doctor. For example, you give a drug to a patient and you don’t write the name and the patient comes back with a new complaint that might be due to something else. But because he has no idea of earlier prescription and how they are meant to act in his body, he may conclude that the drug you gave is responsible for his problem.

The physician warned that failure to tell the patient the name of the drug prescribed could land a doctor in trouble if anything goes wrong.

Sharing real-life experiences on the matter, Aipoh said, “There was a case the other day twhen a policeman went to harass a doctor because a woman had accused him of giving her drugs that made her to have a miscarriage, whereas she actually went to the doctor while bleeding.

“Luckily for the doctor, he had written the names of the drugs he gave the patient on the envelope containing the medications.

“When she tendered the medication to the policeman who was investigating the matter, it turned out that the doctor had prescribed steroids and folic acid, which everybody knows cannot affect a pregnancy.

“You can imagine what would have happened if the doctor had not written the names of the drugs on the envelope!
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Aipoh also cited another instance, saying, “Another reason why it is important for the doctor to let the patient know the name of the drug is that the patient may not get well and may want to see another doctor or try another facility.

“When that happens, the new doctor wants to know what the patient had taken. So, it is extremely important and necessary for doctors to write the name of the drug for patients.”

Aipoh also advised patients to always ask the doctor for the name of any medicine given to them if the doctor fails to do that while making the prescriptions.

He reiterated, “You have the right to know what you are taking. It is not acceptable for doctors not to tell patients the name of the drugs they give to them. We encourage patient-centred care. The patient must be aware of what you are doing for him or her.”

Also speaking, chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, Kano State chapter, Dr. Usman Ali, corroborated Aipoh’s statement, saying it is improper for doctors not to tell patients the name of the drugs that patients are given.

Ali called for effective communication between doctors and patients, saying, “The most important thing when consulting with a patient is effective communication. The way a doctor communicates with the patient matters.

“Effective communication is part of medical training, and it also applies to the drugs you are going to give to patients.

“Many doctors even explain to patients how the drugs will affect the system and how the system can affect the drug. However, there are individual differences.

“It is unacceptable for any doctor not to tell the patient the name of the drug he is giving to the patient. It is something that needs to be reviewed. If you communicate effectively with the patients, the issue of not telling patients the name of prescribed drug will not even arise,” he said.

Ali, a chemical pathologist, also warned that it is not right for a doctor to be angry or feel irritated when a patient seeks to know the details of the drug given to him.

source: Punch