Review of the quality of printed patient education materials on asthma available in primary care in Singapore

Quality of COVID-19 information, education and communication materials in India: A content analysis

Objective

This study examined the characteristics and quality of publicly available COVID-19 information education and communication (IEC) materials in India between March and December 2020.

Design

An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was employed to examine the characteristics and quality of 265 purposefully selected IEC materials.

Setting

The IEC materials analysed were those published between March and December 2020 on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website, Government of India.

Methods

A checklist was utilised to examine the quality and characteristics of the materials. Thereafter, qualitative analysis provided insights into the contents of the materials with specific focus on the 'COVID-19 continuum of care'.

Results

The majority (73.96%, n = 196) of the selected materials were directed towards the general public and had a focus on prevention (67.55 %, n = 179). Despite COVID-19-associated stigma, only 56 (21.13%) of the materials addressed this issue. However, most (95.47%, n = 253) of the materials adhered to quality standards for contents, readability and aesthetics. This qualitative analysis focused on the contents of selected IEC materials using the concept of 'continuum of care'. The analysis identified three important themes: prevention to early diagnosis and treatment; mitigation of stigma and discrimination surrounding COVID-19; and addressing the infodemic caused by COVID-19.

Conclusion

The quality of materials was mostly satisfactory and appropriate to the emergent requirements. Strengthening audience engagement and attractiveness of the materials might enhance readability and actionability. A bottom-up approach to the development of future IEC materials, involving the community might widen the coverage of vulnerable populations in future crisis events.

Challenges encountered by pharmacy staff in using prescription medication labels during medication counselling with older adults and solutions employed: A mixed-methods study

Background

Prescription medication labels (PMLs) predominantly dispensed in English, are an important adjunct to medication counselling. PMLs are routinely used by pharmacy staff to counsel older adults about their medications. This study sought to identify challenges that pharmacy staff observe older adults face in using their PMLs, and to identify and quantify solutions employed by pharmacy staff during medication counselling to address such challenges.

Methods

Ten in-depth interviews were done with primary care pharmacy staff to gather the range of challenges and solutions. Subsequently, a quantitative survey, informed by the qualitative findings, was administered to 121 pharmacy staff to assess if the reported solutions were commonly used.

Results

The two main challenges were incongruity between PML language (English) and older adults' language proficiency, and poor PML legibility. The solutions, classified under three themes, were simplifying medication information on PMLs, supplementing PMLs with additional medication information and mitigating poor readability.

Conclusions

Pharmacy staff observed challenges faced by older adults in using PMLs during medication counselling. Ad-hoc improvisations by pharmacy staff to PMLs were pervasive. System-level PML improvements, such as provision of legible bilingual medication instructions, pharmaceutical pictograms and additional medication information, through patient information leaflets or using quick response (QR) codes on PMLs, should be considered. This will facilitate patient-provider communication, especially in settings with language dissonance between PMLs and patients.

Understandability and Actionability of Available Video Information on YouTube Regarding Hemophilia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

With the advent of revolutionary information technology, most general medical information can be accessed by the community at large. However, the factual nature of information, its understandability, and actionability of diseases like Hemophilia are unknown to the general population. Hence the present study has been envisaged to assess the understandability and actionability of available video information on YouTube about Hemophilia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was performed using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual materials (PEMAT-AV) to assess the understandability and actionability of 50 videos shown by order of relevance utilizing three independent assessors. An online google survey was prepared using the PEMAT questionnaire as a basis and results were recorded and saved as a Microsoft Excel sheet for analysis. Data was analyzed using either Microsoft Excel or an online calculator as the case may be.

Results

A total of 50 short videos on Hemophilia were assessed by three independent assessors using PEMAT. The data so obtained was rechecked by an independent reviewer before data analysis. Three videos were excluded due to non-English language while only two videos out of 50 showed 100% average understandability and actionability. Average understandability and actionability scores range between 34 to 100 percent and 11.1 to 100 percent, respectively. Most videos have higher average understandability than actionability (P value=0.003).

Conclusion

Our study shows there are only a few high-quality short videos available as audio-visual patient education materials on YouTube about Hemophilia. There is a great need to develop content that is beneficial to patients as patient educational material.

Older adult and family caregiver experiences with prescription medication labels and their suggestions for label improvement

Background

Prescription medication labels (PMLs) are an important source of written medication information for patients. However, real-world PMLs do not entirely conform with available labelling best practices and guidelines. Given this disconnect, older adults remain particularly at risk of misinterpreting their PMLs. Past studies have commonly assessed hypothetical PMLs, warranting studies that explore the lived experiences of older adults with real-world PMLs. Furthermore, the perspective of family caregivers of older adults is yet to be studied.

Objective(s)

This qualitative study documented the challenges faced by older adults and their family caregivers in using real-world PMLs, their strategies to cope with these challenges, and their suggestions to improve existing PMLs.

Methods

We conducted two focus group discussions (n = 17) and 30 in-depth interviews with older adults (n = 20; including those who can read in English and those with limited English proficiency) and caregivers (n = 10) in Singapore. The data were systematically assigned to codes that were continuously refined to accommodate emergent themes.

Results

Challenges, coping strategies and suggested improvements were related to the comprehensibility, availability, readability and consistency of medication information on PMLs.

Conclusions

Real-world PMLs continue to pose challenges for older adults and their caregivers, necessitating them to seek unique and personal coping strategies. The identified PML improvements, desired by older adults and their caregivers, urge healthcare systems to implement improved PMLs. Future research should explore system-level logistical, financial, and administrative barriers (or opportunities) that hinder (or facilitate) this implementation.

•

Older adults and caregivers still face challenges with English medicine labels.

•

Small font and lack of desired information were also enduring challenges.

•

Inconsistency in label format and content confused older adults and caregivers.

•

Caregivers and pharmacy staff adopted unique strategies to help older adults.

•

Challenges and ad-hoc strategies necessitate real-world, systemic change to labels.