Continuing the thread of the difficulty of making good decisions about prescription drugs:

It appears that many of us think that FDA approval of a drug means safer and better…Not so fast: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/12/us-drug-approval-misunderstanding-idUSTRE78B6IK20110912

Once again, Steve Woloshin at the White River Junction VA Med Ctr and his Dartmouth colleagues shine a spotlight on a topic where our decision-making is hindered by a combination of pharmaceutical advertising and lack of clarity about the role (and limitations) of the FDA.

Here’s the link to the abstract of the study: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/171/16/1463

Jessie Gruman

Jessie Gruman heads the Center for Advancing Health, a Washington-based policy nonprofit funded by foundations to work on engagement: people will not benefit from the health care available to them unless they can participate fully and competently in it. Jessie draws on her own experience of treatment for four cancer diagnoses, surveys, research and interviews to advocate for policies and practices to overcome the challenges we all face in finding good care and getting the most from it.