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Malhotra R, Suppiah SD, Tan YW, Sung P, Tay SSC, Tan NC, Koh GCH, Chan A, Chew LST, Ozdemir S. Older adult patient preferences for the content and format of prescription medication labels - A best-worst scaling and discrete choice experiment study. Res Social Adm Pharm 2023; 19:1455-1464. [PMID: 37507340 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patient preferences for the content and format of prescription medication labels (PMLs, i.e., sticker labels placed on medication bottles/packets at dispensing) have been extensively studied. However, accommodating all preferences on PMLs is impractical due to space limitations. Understanding how patients prioritise the content and format attributes of PMLs can inform improvements while working within PML space constraints. OBJECTIVES We aimed to (1) identify a ranking of medication-related content attributes to be prioritised on PMLs using best-worst scaling (BWS), and (2) determine the relative importance of format attributes when incorporated onto PMLs using discrete choice experiment (DCE), from the perspective of older adult patients in Singapore. METHODS Attributes were informed by our prior qualitative study and PML best practice guidelines. For the BWS component, the assessed content attributes were indication, precautions, interaction or paired medicines, food instructions, side effects, expiry date, and missed dose action, all of which are currently not legally mandated on PMLs in Singapore. A BWS object case was used to rank the content attributes. For the DCE component, in a series of questions, participants were asked to choose between two PML options each time, that varied in the presentation of dosage-frequency instructions, font size, presentation of dosage, presentation of precautions, and font colour of precautions. A mixed logit model estimated the relative utilities of format attribute levels, enabling the calculation of importance scores of the format attributes. RESULTS The study recruited 280 participants (mean age: 68.8 ± 5.4 years). The three most-preferred content attributes were indication, precautions and interaction or paired medicines. The top three format preferences were tabular style presentation of dosage-frequency instructions, large font size and precautions in red colour. CONCLUSIONS Healthcare institutions should consider improving their PMLs based on the leading content and format preferences voiced by older adult patients. The methodology adopted in the study can also be used for aligning the content and format of other patient education materials with patient preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Malhotra
- Centre for Ageing Research & Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Signature Programme in Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
| | | | - Yi Wen Tan
- Centre for Ageing Research & Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Pildoo Sung
- Centre for Ageing Research & Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | | | | | | | - Alexandre Chan
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice, University of California, USA
| | - Lita Sui Tjien Chew
- Department of Pharmacy, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore; Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Semra Ozdemir
- Signature Programme in Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Lien Centre for Palliative Care, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Maghroudi E, van Hooijdonk CMJ, van de Bruinhorst H, van Dijk L, Rademakers J, Borgsteede SD. The impact of textual elements on the comprehensibility of drug label instructions (DLIs): A systematic review. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250238. [PMID: 34010291 PMCID: PMC8133485 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Correct interpretation of drug labels instructions (DLIs) is needed for safe use and better adherence to prescribed drugs. DLIs are often too difficult for patients, especially for those with limited health literacy. What is yet unknown, is how specific textual elements in DLIs (e.g., the presentation of numbers, or use of medical jargon) and patients' health literacy skills are related to the comprehension of DLIs. In order to provide concrete directions for health professionals on how to optimize drug prescriptions, we performed a systematic review to summarize the available research findings on which textual elements facilitate or hinder the correct interpretation of DLIs in relation to patients' health literacy. METHOD A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and Smartcat (until April 2019) to identify studies investigating textual elements that facilitate or hinder the correct interpretation of DLIs in relation to patients' health literacy. RESULTS A total of 434 studies were identified of which 28 studies met our inclusion criteria. We found that textual elements contributing to the correct interpretation of DLIs were: using explicit time periods in dosage instructions, using plain language, presenting numbers in a numerical format, and providing DLIs in patients' native language. Multistep instructions per instruction line, using abbreviations and medical jargon seem to hinder the correct interpretation of DLIs. Although health literacy was taken into account in a majority of the studies, none of them assessed the effectiveness of specific textual elements on patients' comprehensibility of DLIs. CONCLUSION Based on our findings, we provide an overview of textual elements that contribute to the correct interpretation of DLIs. Optimizing the textual instruction on drug labels may increase the safety and adherence to prescribed drugs, taking into account that a significant proportion of patients has low health literacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekram Maghroudi
- Department of Clinical Decision Support, Health Base Foundation, Houten, The Netherlands
- Department of Family Medicine, Maastricht University, CAPHRI, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Heidi van de Bruinhorst
- Department of Clinical Decision Support, Health Base Foundation, Houten, The Netherlands
- Universiteit Utrecht, Pharmacy, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Liset van Dijk
- Nivel, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Department of PharmacoTherapy, -Epidemiology & -Economics (PTEE), Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jany Rademakers
- Department of Family Medicine, Maastricht University, CAPHRI, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Nivel, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Conceptualization, Development and Psychometric Evaluations of a New Medication-Related Health Literacy Instrument: The Chinese Medication Literacy Measurement. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17196951. [PMID: 32977520 PMCID: PMC7579017 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17196951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
There is a need for valid and reliable instruments to focus on medication aspects of health literacy and help healthcare professionals address patients’ barriers to medication use. This cross-sectional study describes the conceptualization, development, and psychometric properties of the first Chinese Medication Literacy Measurement (ChMLM) to assess the level of health literacy on medication use. The 17-item ChMLM (ChMLM-17) and its short form, 13-item ChMLM (ChMLM-13), consist of four sections (vocabulary, over-the-counter labels, prescription labels, and advertisements) to cover six domains of medication-related health literacy. Multistage stratified quota sampling was attempted to recruit a representative sample in Taiwan. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to identify the cut-off point for differentiating high and low medication literacy. Psychometric analyses were performed (n = 1410) to assess the reliability and validity separately on all samples and sociodemographic subgroups. The 17- and 13-item versions both had high construct validity among all patients and patients with low medication literacy. The developed ChMLM-17 and ChMLM-13 is expected to help healthcare providers and researchers to accurately measure medication-related health literacy and improve medication use in the real-world practice.
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Bagagiolo G, Vigoroso L, Caffaro F, Cremasco MM, Cavallo E. Conveying Safety Messages on Agricultural Machinery: The Comprehension of Safety Pictorials in a Group of Migrant Farmworkers in Italy. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E4180. [PMID: 31671852 PMCID: PMC6862054 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16214180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The comprehension of safety signs affixed to agricultural machinery is fundamental to warning users about the residual risks which cannot be eliminated with machinery design and the adoption of protections. This is particularly relevant for the migrant workforce, which may encounter some language barriers with written safety communication. The present study aimed to investigate the comprehension of safety signs affixed to agricultural machinery in a group of migrants from both European and non-European countries employed in Italian agriculture. Thirty-seven migrant farmworkers (12 Indians, 17 Pakistanis, and eight Romanians) were individually interviewed to test the comprehension of four safety signs referring to the main causes of fatal and non-fatal injuries caused by interactions with farm machinery. Romanians obtained the highest comprehension performance (68.8% of correct answers), followed by Indians (35.4%), with Pakistanis being last (32.4%). The nationality and the previous experience as a farmworker significantly affected the comprehension of safety signs. The results pointed out the importance of adequately training migrants on the meaning of safety signs. Beside this, the study suggests a redesign of the signs, considering some signs' features to enhance pictorials' cross-cultural comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Bagagiolo
- Institute for Agricultural and Earthmoving Machines (IMAMOTER), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 10135 Torino, Italy.
| | - Lucia Vigoroso
- Institute for Agricultural and Earthmoving Machines (IMAMOTER), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 10135 Torino, Italy.
| | - Federica Caffaro
- Institute for Agricultural and Earthmoving Machines (IMAMOTER), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 10135 Torino, Italy.
| | | | - Eugenio Cavallo
- Institute for Agricultural and Earthmoving Machines (IMAMOTER), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 10135 Torino, Italy.
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Lee J, Ladoni M, Richardson J, Sundar RP, Bix L. Investigating the efficacy of an interactive warning for use in labeling strategies used by us pharmacies. Pharm Pract (Granada) 2019; 17:1463. [PMID: 31275502 PMCID: PMC6594438 DOI: 10.18549/pharmpract.2019.2.1463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background United States pharmacies repackage medications into multi-dose vials, enabling customized dosing for prescription drugs. Investment in infrastructure has made this the predominant approach to packaging for US prescriptions. Although recent changes to labeling now discourage the use of auxiliary labels (small stickers highlighting information germane to the safe and effective use), they are still allowed by USP<17>, provided their use comes from an evidence-based perspective. Objectives Evaluate how 'interactive,' placements of auxiliary labels (placement requiring physical manipulation of the warning to accomplish a task (e.g. opening)) garner attention as compared to those placed vertically or horizontally. Methods Ninety-six participants were eye tracked while opening three prescription vials (each with an auxiliary warning label with a different placement: vertical, horizontal and interactive). Recall and recognition were tested subsequently. Linear mixed models were used to analyze the continuous variables while the binary response variables were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. The effect of auxiliary labels was fitted as a fixed effect and the subject-to-subject variation was considered as a random effect in the model. Participants' age, health literacy and sex were added to the models if their effect was statistically significant at alpha=0.05. Results The placement of the warnings significantly impacted the time spent viewing the information they contained at alpha=0.05; people spent significantly longer on interactive placements (0.96; SD 0.13 seconds) than either, horizontal placements (0.27; SD 0.037 seconds) or those placed vertically (0.18 seconds; SD 0.035). Participants were equally as likely to see information presented in an interactive placement (90%; SD 3.8) or horizontal placement (78%; SD 05.5) but less likely to view warnings placed vertically (60%; SD 6.9). Free recall responses also supported the use of interactive placement (62%; SD 6.8 recall) as compared to horizontal placements which were 29%; SD 3.0 and 20%; SD 6.0 for vertical placements. Conclusions Data provides evidence which suggests that interactive and horizontal placements out-perform auxiliary labels placed vertically on prescription vials with regard to garnering patient attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyon Lee
- School of Packaging, Michigan State University. East Lansing, MI (United States).
| | - Moslem Ladoni
- Statistical Consulting Center, CANR Biometry Group, Michigan State University. East Lansing, MI (United States).
| | - James Richardson
- School of Packaging, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (United States).
| | - Raghav P Sundar
- School of Packaging, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (United States).
| | - Laura Bix
- School of Packaging, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (United States).
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Samaranayake NR, Bandara WG, Manchanayake CM. A narrative review on do's and don'ts in prescription label writing - lessons for pharmacists. INTEGRATED PHARMACY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2018; 7:53-66. [PMID: 29942789 PMCID: PMC6005331 DOI: 10.2147/iprp.s163968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Providing medicines information is a key role of a pharmacist. Miscommunication between pharmacist and patient may lead to adverse drug events or therapeutic failure. The aim of the review was to summarize the available research findings on factors that lead to poor communication between pharmacist and patient when providing written medicines information on dispensing and auxiliary labels and identify successful interventional approaches that help to alleviate these concerns. We selected articles available on PubMed, SAGE, and Google Scholar databases that are relevant to our objective. A total of 33 articles that matched the objectives of this review were retrieved and evaluated by all three authors. It was found that patient literacy levels, number of medicines dispensed, format and organization of the label, complexity of dosing instructions, precision of writing dosing instructions and use of icons, graphics and pictograms were aspects that were frequently used, and hence assessed by research groups on medicine label writing. Most studies reported that simple and straight forward instructions written legibly were better comprehended by patients. Based on our findings, we provide here useful tips for pharmacists on writing dosing instructions for patients. Finally, we spotlight crucial research gaps related to communicating written dosing instructions that need to be addressed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nithushi R Samaranayake
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
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Pharmacists and patients feedback on empirically designed prescription warning labels: a qualitative study. Int J Clin Pharm 2017; 39:187-195. [PMID: 28070688 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-016-0421-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/26/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Background Recommendations call for the inclusion of both patient and provider input in the redesign of prescription labels. Pharmacist opinions on prescription warning labels are important because they are the health providers who would eventually distribute and explain the revised labels during medication counseling. They may be the first health provider to notice a patient's misunderstanding on how to safely use their prescription medications. Objectives To explore the perspectives of patients and pharmacists on five newly designed PWLs, and examine if there were similarities and differences between patients' and pharmacists' perspectives. Setting Private room in Wisconsin. Methods A descriptive study using semi-structured 60-min face-to-face individual interviews with patients and pharmacists explored patients and pharmacists' feedback on five newly designed PWLs. Patients who were 18 years and older, spoke English, and took a prescription medication and pharmacists who filled prescriptions in an ambulatory setting participated in the study. The patient and pharmacist perspectives on the words (content), picture and color (cosmetic appearance), and placement of warning instructions on the pill bottle (convenience) was based on a label redesign framework. Qualitative content analysis was done. Main outcome measure Patient and pharmacist perspectives on the newly designed PWLs. Results Twenty-one patients and eight pharmacists practicing in an academic medical center outpatient setting (n = 5) or retail pharmacy (n = 3) participated. All patients and pharmacists wanted the PWLs positioned on the front of the pill bottle but not the side of the bottle or warning instructions embedded into the main prescription label. Other similarities included participants preferring: (1) pictures closely depicting the instructions and (2) the use of yellow highlighting on the PWL to draw attention to it. There were differences in patient and pharmacist perspectives regarding the addition of 'Warning' to the instruction on the PWL with the patient preference to include the word 'Warning'. Pharmacists thought some PWL pictures had racial stereotypes, but this feedback was never mentioned by patients. Conclusions Patients and pharmacists had different preferences for PWL design changes to improve understandability. Pharmacist preferences did not always correspond with patient preferences. However, patients and pharmacists generally agreed on the preferred location of the PWL on the pill bottle and the use of color for drawing patients' attention.
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