Exploratory evaluation of several teratogen warning symbols

Comprehension of Pictograms Demonstrating the Risk of Medication Use During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to summarize the comprehension of a pictogram about the risk of medication use during pregnancy.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed using the PRISMA checklist of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, PsycInfo, LILACS, Academic Search Premier, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, grey literature (Google Scholar and OpenAIRE), ClinicalTrials.gov website, and design journals and congresses. The search was performed since the database inception, without language or year of publication restrictions.

RESULTS

Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria for this review, 2 of which were randomized clinical trials. The pictograms and methods used varied widely among studies. The comprehension of the pregnancy pictograms had a complex communication outcome with a variation of 21-96%.

CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE

The lack of a standard pictogram and uniform methods to evaluate the comprehension of the pregnancy pictogram made it challenging to reach a conclusion with the studies available to date on the safety and efficacy of the pregnancy pictogram to alert the risk of medication use.

Comprehension by older people of medication information with or without supplementary pharmaceutical pictograms

This study examined the benefits of pharmaceutical pictograms for improving comprehension of medication information for older people. Fifty Hong Kong Chinese older people completed a medical information comprehension task for five drugs. Participants in the control group were presented with text labels while those in the experimental group were given the text labels plus supplementary pharmaceutical pictograms, and then all reported their understanding of the medication information conveyed. Lower educated older people had poorer understanding of medication information. The addition of pharmaceutical pictograms significantly improved the comprehension of medication information for older people. The majority of older people tested with pictograms favored adding pictograms to text and thought the pictograms were useful for conveying medical information rather than using written text alone. The findings suggested that pharmaceutical and health care professionals should include pharmaceutical pictograms on labels to better convey instructions on medication to older people.

On Warning Symbols, Text, and ‘getting it right’: The Iterative Refinement of a Teratogenic Pharmaceutical Label

Several birth defects warning symbols identified as most successful in an earlier study (Mayhorn & Goldsworthy, 2007) were further modified and then evaluated within a nationally distributed field trial (n = 2773). A total of 11 warning labels were examined: 4 new symbols plus the existing baseline symbol, each in versions with and without text, plus a text-only condition. Participant interpretation accuracy and preferences were assessed. For symbol-only conditions, several candidate symbols outperformed the existing symbol, one substantially so. The effect of adding text to symbols varied significantly by symbol. Symbol+text and text-only conditions performed equivalently, generally exceeded symbol-only conditions, and often surpassed the ANSI benchmark of 85% accurate interpretation. Implications are drawn from the process and outcomes in relation to warning design, warning evaluation, and future research.

Patterns and determinants of patient-delivered therapy uptake among healthcare consumers

BACKGROUND

Patient-delivered partner therapy (PDPT) may be an effective alternative to traditional approaches to sexually transmitted infection control and prevention. Consumer PDPT uptake is comprised of two behaviors: (1) patient willingness to deliver medicine (patient-delivery) and (2) partner willingness to take it (partner-use).

METHODS

505 participants aged 18 to 47 completed a nationally distributed survey of intentions, attitudes, perceived norms, perceived control, and specific outcome beliefs, normative influences, and barriers/facilitators related to PDPT. Zero-order correlations and multivariate statistics were used to describe PDPT uptake patterns and determinants.

RESULTS

Consumer uptake exhibited a highly polarized response pattern with the majority willing to participate in patient-delivery (83%) or partner-use (69.4%). Psychosocial determinants of uptake varied by behavior. Regression models of the psychosocial variables (Adj. R>.75) indicate that, across behaviors, PDPT uptake was most closely associated with perceived norm, followed by attitude and perceived control. Specific factors related to uptake include: beliefs that PDPT makes curing disease easier, reduces the spread of the disease, and ensures people are cured; recommendation by healthcare providers; and that the medicine comes with a note from the healthcare provider and is sealed. Several participant characteristics were also significantly correlated with uptake.

CONCLUSIONS

Consumers are willing to engage in PDPT and perceive delivery and use differently. Several beliefs and participant characteristics emerged as potentially important factors in willingness to participate. This information can inform the passage of enabling legislation; the selection of PDPT participants; and the development of provider, patient, and partner informational materials.

Interpretation of pharmaceutical warnings among adolescents

PURPOSE

Warnings are an important component of pharmaceutical risk mitigation efforts, yet very little research attention has been directed toward adolescent interpretation of such warnings. This study examined adolescents' interpretations of and preferences for warning symbols and statements related to pharmaceuticals with teratogenic properties.

METHODS

A total of 200 adolescents interpreted one of four warning symbols and four warning statements. Responses were coded using an established three-tier coding system. Symbol preferences were elicited. Interpretation accuracy and symbol preferences were analyzed by symbol and statement.

RESULTS

The symbol in use on medication labels at the time of the study elicited nearly goal levels of interpretation accuracy; however it exceeded allowable levels of critical confusion. An alternative symbol elicited more fully correct responses than the existing symbol and was preferred to the existing symbol by a margin of 2 to 1. Yet another symbol was most preferred despite eliciting fewer correct interpretations. The impact of warning statements on overall warning interpretation varied by statement and statement-symbol combinations. At least one statement appeared to lessen the overall message of caution, and few adolescents expressed an awareness of risk if one "may become pregnant" until explicitly informed of this risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehension of medical warning symbols and statements among adolescents is an important public health issue. Those involved in adolescent health education and research have considerable theoretical and practical tools for approaching the development and evaluation of such warning messages. Understanding how warnings are interpreted can lead to more effective communication efforts and reduce risk.

Refining teratogen warning symbols for diverse populations

BACKGROUND

The current research reports on efforts to refine the design of recently developed teratogen warning symbols and to examine their interpretation by different populations such as those with low health literacy, adolescents, and individuals who are not fluent in English.

METHODS

Alternative symbols identified as most successful in an earlier study were further refined through the use of multiple focus groups and expert review. Six symbols emerged as potential candidates to replace the current symbol. A nationally distributed field trial (n = 700) examined these six alternate teratogen warnings in addition to the symbol presently in use.

RESULTS

Five of the alternate warning symbols exceeded the level of correct interpretation elicited by the current symbol. No symbol exceeded the ANSI limit of 5% critical confusion. Two symbols consistently elicited the most accurate responses in terms of message interpretation, target audience, intended action, and perceived consequences of ignoring the warning.

CONCLUSIONS

This effort produced at least two viable alternative symbols that appear to be more effective than the current symbol at communicating both the instruction to not take while pregnant and the consequence that exposure could cause birth defects. Several results varied by participant characteristics. Understanding how members of diverse subpopulations might interact with these warnings should be informative to healthcare professionals.