PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN MEDICAL DEVICES HIGH IN UK, PROGRAM FINDS

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said Dec. 12 it had commissioned a research program to learn more about how healthcare professionals and the public view the risks and benefits associated with medical devices, drugs and supplies. Discussions with the public suggested that confidence in devices and drugs stems from an overall confidence in doctors, whom the public trusts to weigh risks and benefits.

The program also sought views on how well the products are regulated and on the communication of their risks and benefits, the MHRA said. The research involved quantitative surveys and focus group discussions.

Among the findings were:

Nearly nine in 10 adults (83 percent) in Great Britain are confident about the safety of medical devices;

Only 2 percent of them spontaneously identify the MHRA as the regulator. Only 47 percent would consult their doctors if they wished to report a problem with a medical device; and

Just under 18 percent say they always weigh the risks and benefits of a medical device before they decide whether to use it.

No more than one in five doctors is aware that the MHRA regulates devices, although half (52 percent) of the pharmacists know that, the MHRA said. Furthermore, only about one surgeon in five would contact the agency about an adverse incident with a device.