More than 80% of filled prescriptions in the United States are for generic drugs, yet many patients may still experience confusion about what generics are and whether they are safe and effective. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has teaching resources to help health care providers explain generics. One is an online page that provides links to information providers can integrate into their patient education (http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/Gen) and offers printable brochures, fact sheets, articles, infographics, and an entire presentation.

Two resources from the FDA that nurses might be especially interested in are a downloadable pamphlet entitled Facts About Generic Drugs (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicine Drugs/UCM305908.pdf) and a briefer, one-page handout called Generic Drug Facts (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicine).