Hello, I'm Phillip Schneider. I am pleased to welcome you to the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) web site. NCPIE is a coalition of over 125 diverse organizations whose mission is to stimulate and improve communication of information on appropriate medicine use to consumers and healthcare professionals. NCPIE is the nation's leading authority for informing the general public and health care professionals on safe medicine use through better communication. Better medicine communication can lead to better health outcomes and improved quality of life.

Today, consumers are more responsible for their own decisions - especially when it comes to taking care of their health. For nearly 25 years, NCPIE has been at the forefront in promoting information sharing among consumers, prescribers, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals.

Two out of every three visits to the doctor ends with a prescription being written. Over 3 billion prescriptions are dispensed yearly. While taking medicines is very common, it's not always easy to take them correctly. Our web site www.talkaboutrx.org is designed to help consumers make sound decisions about a very important part of good health: use of medicines. NCPIE provides here necessary information to support consumers' safe medicine use.

More people today are using medicines that do not require a doctor's prescription, called "over-the-counter" (OTC) medicines. (Since 1990, sales of OTC medicines have increased by more than 60 percent.) And the use of dietary supplements is growing rapidly, too. OTC medicines, like prescription drugs, are serious medicines that should be taken with care. That's why in 2002, NCPIE launched the national "Be MedWise" campaign. Enlisting the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Richard Carmona, who supports the campaign with his "Be MedWise" educational prescription for taking OTCs with care. Dr. Carmona, in signing his "Be MedWise" prescription in September 2003 referred to it as "the most important prescription I have ever written."

"Be MedWise," along with every other NCPIE campaign and message, promotes safe medicine use by focusing on the "3Rs": Risk, Respect, and Responsibility

• Ask questions about instructions for use, precautions, and side effects whenever a new medicine is prescribed.
  
• Share information with doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals about other prescription and OTC medicines you are taking.
  
• Keep a current list of all the medicines you are taking, including prescription and OTC medicines. Include dietary supplements, herbal remedies and vitamins too. Be sure to show the list to your healthcare providers at every visit.
  
• Read carefully any written information that comes with the medicine, and save it for future reference.

This site provides information to help you make the most of your role as a key player on what NCPIE calls the "medicine education team." In turn, knowing what questions to ask and what to tell about your medicines helps you take charge of your health.

We encourage you to bookmark our site www.talkaboutrx.org and to visit it regularly. Also, please share your comments about the site so that we can continue to provide the best information to support your interests or needs.

Sincerely, Phillip H.L. Schneider, M.A. NCPIE Chairman and Vice President, External Relations and Program Development National Association of Chain Drug Stores