Infrequent Older Adult–Primary Care Provider Discussion and Documentation of Dietary Supplements

David J. Jang, MD; Derjung M. Tarn, MD, PhD

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014;62(7):1386-1388.

Abstract and Introduction

Introduction

To the Editor: Almost half of older adults take dietary supplements,^[1] with 19.5% taking nonvitamin, nonmineral (NVNM) supplements.^[2] Despite the potential for drug–supplement interactions,^[3] individuals report disclosing <40% of their dietary supplements to a physician.^[4] Few studies have examined physician–patient interactions to measure how often supplement-related conversations occur, nor have studies investigated the concordance between physician–older adult dietary supplement discussions during office visits, patient reports of supplement use, and medical record documentation. This study compares older adults' self-reported dietary supplement use with observed disclosure of supplement use in a primary care setting and physician documentation of supplement use.