NBC News Features Former AAFP President

Common sense -- that's what a segment on the Feb. 23 NBC Nightly News said was missing from the barrage of pharmaceutical ads and conflicting research reports consumers are hit with every day. However, common sense is what former AAFP President Patrick Harr, M.D., is providing, according to the show.

The "Life Line" segment of the news program, which, according to NBC, has more than 8 million viewers, began with commentary on how hard it is to tell what is the best medicine. Consumers are faced with trying to understand what are the best health care options in a world where they are overwhelmed by marketing efforts and research studies that provide conflicting outcomes.

"Often lost in the commotion and promotion: old-fashioned common sense, which, for the last 32 years, family doctor Patrick Harr has been dispensing in Maryville, Mo.," said NBC reporter Bob Faw.

"Sometimes it's better to do nothing," said Harr as he treated a patient. "There's nothing wrong with watchful waiting."

The segment blended ads, movie clips and newscasters' comments to depict the confusing information about medications and treatments consumers face. Many patients are more informed -- and yet often more misinformed -- than ever before, said Faw.

"It's almost like a topsy-turvy world that's gone upside down," said Harr. The program showed him giving care to a diverse panel of patients, including a baby, a few young and middle-aged adults, and an older patient.

Many patients wonder if what they're getting is really what the doctor ordered, Faw said. NBC is expected to air another segment on Feb. 24 that will include details on cutting through the confusion.