Thirty-eight patients with inflammatory bowel disease who had been treated with azathioprine were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire about information they had received on the drug. Twenty responded of which 16 recalled having had information on azathioprine. Recall of the content on an information leaflet was poor with up to 25% of patients failing to recall warnings about side effects. Documentation of this advice on the clinical notes was also poor with this happening in only one case. This failure to both recall and record information must increase the chances of successful litigation.