Risk awareness, medication adherence, and driving behavior as determined by the provision of drug information to patients

Objective The study identifies appropriate risk expressions by healthcare professionals in communicating the risks of driving-impairing medicine to patients, gauging changed patient behavior, preventing traffic accidents due to drugs, and improving drug adherence. Methods An online questionnaire survey was conducted on participants’ perception of driving-related risks, and risk awareness, as well as reports of healthcare professionals’ expressions and warning messages regarding driving-impairing drugs. Results Approximately 80 % of participants were aware of the effects of pharmaceutical drugs on driving ability, and 50 % responded that they had received an explanation from their respective health professionals. As reported by participants, although healthcare professionals typically used more indirect expressions, direct warning messages were associated with high-risk awareness. Conclusion The content of the explanatory sentences and debriefing influenced risk perception among participants. Direct expressions were more desirable for appropriate risk perception by participants. Providing information from healthcare professional about the degree of risks and patients’ determining their influence on driving behavior based on risk perception was necessary to clarify the predictors of driving behavior. Practice implications Health professionals should be aware that their warning messages could have a significant impact on patients’ risk perception and driving behavior.