A survey by Harris Interactive was recently done to examine issues around prescription medications and other medical treatments.   The study was conducted as an online survey in the United States from March 5-7, 2007 and included a cross section of 2,673 adults.

The study found some startling issues, including:

• 25% of Americans say they have left a drug prescription unfilled because they felt it was unneeded and a fifth have obtained a second opinion because they felt their doctors' recommendations were too aggressive.

• 44% of Americans say they or an immediate family member have ignored a doctor's course of treatment or sought a second opinion because they felt the doctor's orders were unnecessary or overly aggressive, according to a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive health-care poll.

• In addition to the 27% who have left a prescription unfilled and 20% who have sought a second opinion, 13% have avoided getting a diagnostic test, 7% have opted against a surgical procedure and 7% have changed doctors because they felt their doctor's recommended treatment was too aggressive. Respondents were presented with several scenarios and were able to select more than one that applied to them or a family member.

• Among survey respondents who said they have chosen not to follow a doctor's recommendations, 89% said nothing negative happened as a result. Eleven percent reported some sort of negative effect, such as worsening health conditions and lost time from work.

• The survey found 43% of Americans say they are concerned about receiving too many treatments or overly aggressive treatment when they are sick or in need of medical care. In a survey conducted two years ago, 50% said they felt that way.

• About 52% of Americans believe doctors overtreat patients because of concerns about malpractice lawsuits, while 41% say doctors do so "to make more money" and 44% say "to meet patients' demands."

• Still, Americans seem to believe that undertreatment is a problem, too. When asked how often they believe patients are undertreated, 29% said often and 55% said sometimes.

To see full results of the survey, please click here.