Preferences for Patient Medication Information: What Do Patients Want?

Abstract

This study investigated respondent preferences on how best to display patient medication information (PMI) that accompanies prescription medications to promote comprehension and appropriate usage. The authors identified 30 individuals diagnosed with select immune disorders, 30 with other chronic diseases, and 30 from the general public and had them review one of two PMI handouts that varied by format, organization, and content. The authors explored preferences for the PMI handout using one-on-one interviews. The authors analyzed the qualitative data to identify relevant themes and patterns using NVivo9 qualitative software. The majority of respondents noted that the formats of the two PMI handouts were more informative than those they currently receive from the pharmacist, with a preference for the 2-column, segmented design. However, respondent PMI preferences varied by age, education, and health status. Patients need simpler and more concise drug information to make better decisions about their health. Current PMI handouts are dense and complex, which can be confusing and not reader friendly. To improve PMI understandability and usefulness, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with stakeholders, consumer advocates, and academics. Findings from this study may help inform future development of more user-friendly PMI.

Improving Medication Adherence in Cardiometabolic Disease

“…A study on the best way to display information that accompanies prescription medication was conducted by interviewing patients with select immune disorders (n = 30), other chronic diseases (n = 30), and the general public (n = 30) (59). Respondent preferences varied according to age, education, and health status.…”

An update on medication guides

“…While consumer testing patient information is helpful in evaluating comprehension and usability, FDA does not require such testing under existing MG regulations. As MGs evolved, however, FDA provided recommendations on written medical information for consumers that is developed by entities other than the drug manufacturer and researchers published their findings on the design, evaluation, and impact of such information . Therefore, recently approved MGs are more likely than their predecessors to incorporate key content and formatting features aimed at improving their usability and boosting patient comprehension including, but not limited to: plain language (eg, simplified, specific, and legible information with minimal redundancy) better section ordering based on patient and consumer responses a streamlined layout with bulleted text formatted into boxes (ie, readable “chunks” of information) framed text with white space visually discriminable headings (eg, in bold ) larger font sizes (eg, ≥10 point) sans‐serif fonts (eg, Arial) …”

“…As MGs evolved, however, FDA provided recommendations on written medical information for consumers that is developed by entities other than the drug manufacturer 14 and researchers published their findings on the design, evaluation, and impact of such information. 11,12,[15][16][17] Therefore, recently approved MGs are more likely than their predecessors to incorporate key content and formatting features aimed at improving their usability and boosting patient comprehension including, but not limited to:…”

“…• a streamlined layout with bulleted text formatted into boxes (ie, readable "chunks" of information) 12,[16][17][18] • framed text with white space 12,16 • visually discriminable headings (eg, in bold) 12,20 • larger font sizes (eg, ≥10 point) 14,17,18 • sans-serif fonts (eg, Arial) 14 Although MG evaluations have been conducted, some evaluations have concluded that FDA-approved MGs have changed little over time. 8,21,22 However, we caution against relying on evaluations that focus on older MG models.…”

“…2,23 For example, stakeholder input on MGs and patient labeling was Beyond FDA, studies evaluating different forms of patient labeling were also conducted. [15][16][17] Although these studies addressed the usefulness of Consumer Medication Information (CMI) in retail pharmacies 15 and consumer understanding and preference for patient information prototypes, 16,17 the lessons learned from this research are also applicable to MGs.…”