More than medication
OMT in Norway includes cooperation with social and welfare services, general practitioners, and the specialist health services, not just medication. Most respondents were satisfied with the OMT program as a whole.
Can expectations cause side effects?
Despite this satisfaction, 8 of 10 respondents reported at least one negative side effect. One paradoxical finding is that patients taking Subuxone, the newest option and the first choice because it is safest, reported the fewest side effects – but they were also the most dissatisfied. The authors think this may be due to BNX´s reputation; indeed, exploring acceptance of BNX was one of proLAR´s aims of the survey. Previous studies have shown that patients are more skeptical to a new medication if they haven´t heard any good reports about it, and OMT patients, like any others, are influenced by what they hear or don´t hear from other patients.
One recommendation is that doctors should ask new OMT patients what they expect to get out of their medication, including side effects, and then to follow up with any concerns. This is particularly true for new medications.
Clinical research benefits from patient advocacy
That the survey was designed and administered by the patient advocacy group may have led to the high amount of responses and to patients giving more honest feedback about treatment. This is a replicable model for cooperation between patient advocacy groups and clinical research.
Read the full article here
The full survey answers can be found here.