Source Of Medicine Information Research Articles

Receipt and use of spoken and written over-the-counter medicine information: insights into Australian and UK consumers' experiences.

To explore Australian and UK consumers' receipt and use of spoken and written medicine information and examine the role of leaflets for consumers of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 37 Australian and 39 UK consumers to explore information received with their most recent OTC medicine purchase, and how information was used at different times post-purchase. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Similarities were evident between the key themes identified from Australian and UK consumers' experiences. Consumers infrequently sought spoken information and reported that pharmacy staff provided minimal spoken information for OTC medicines. Leaflets were not always received or wanted and had a less salient role as an information source for repeat OTC purchases. Consumers tended not to read OTC labels or leaflets. Product familiarity led to consumers tending not to seek information on labels or leaflets. When labels were consulted, directions for use were commonly read. However, OTC medicine information in general was infrequently revisited. As familiarity is not an infallible proxy for safe and effective medication use, strategies to promote the value and use of these OTC medicine information sources are important and needed. Minimal spoken information provision coupled with limited written information use may adversely impact medication safety in self-management.

Sources of medicines information used by pharmacy professionals

Sources of medicines information used by pharmacy professionals

Potential facilitators and barriers to adopting standard treatment guidelines in clinical practice

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess medicines information sources accessed by clinicians, if sources differed in theory and practice and to find out the barriers and facilitators to effective guideline adoption.Design/methodology/approachIn all, 183 doctors were surveyed. Barriers and facilitators were classified as: communication; potential adopters; innovation; organization characteristics and environmental/social/economic context.FindingsMost of the clinicians accessed multiple information sources including standard treatment guidelines, but also consulted seniors/colleagues in practice. The top three factors influencing clinical practice guideline adoption were innovation characteristics, environmental context and individual characteristics. The respondents differed in the following areas: concerns about flexibility offered by the guideline; denying patients’ individuality; professional autonomy; insights into gaps in current practice and evidence-based practice; changing practices with little or no benefit. Barriers included negative staff attitudes/beliefs, guideline integration into organizational structures/processes, time/resource constraints. Fearing third parties (government and insurance companies) restricting medicines reimbursement and poor liability protection offered by the guidelines emerged as the barriers. Facilitators include aligning organizational structures/processes with the innovation; providing leadership support to guide diffusion; increasing awareness and enabling early innovation during pre/in-service training, with regular feedback on outcomes and use.Practical implicationsGuideline adoption in clinical practice is partly within doctors’ control. There are other key prevailing factors in the local context such as environmental, social context, professional and organizational culture affecting its adoption. Organizational policy and accreditation standards necessitating adherence can serve as a driver.Originality/valueThis survey among clinicians, despite limitations, gives helpful insights. While favourable attitudes may be helpful, clinical adoption could be improved more effectively by targeting barriers.

Consumer Opinions on Existing and Proposed Australian Over-the-Counter Medicine Labeling Strategies in Comparison With the Standardized US Drug Facts Label.

With common over-the-counter (OTC) medication use, OTC labels as medicine information sources must be of high quality and usability. Standardized OTC labeling has been proposed in Australia using the Medicine Information Box (MIB), modeled on the US Drug Facts label. However, limited research has explored consumer opinions on existing nonstandardized Australian OTC, US Drug Facts, and proposed MIB labels. Therefore, this study aimed to explore consumer opinions on all 3 groups of OTC labels. Three focus groups (N = 21 participants) were conducted in Sydney, Australia. Participants were shown existing Australian OTC labels, US Drug Facts labels, and mock MIB formats based on the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration proposal. Discussions were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. Participants expressed varying opinions regarding existing nonstandardized Australian OTC labels' content and design, from acknowledgment of positive aspects (clear headings, relevant content) to decreased perceived readability (suboptimal color use, font size) and content discrepancies. Participants identified key Drug Facts and MIB label characteristics that contributed to perceived usability and format clarity (good headings, black-and-white format). Many preferred the Drug Facts label because of its greater perceived clarity and usability. Missing content (inactive ingredients, further contact details) were identified and consequently became opportunities for MIB improvement. Most participants seemed to prefer the US Drug Facts label, partly because of its perceived completeness. These findings suggest further improvements for the proposed MIB as a step toward Australian OTC label standardization.

Some thoughts about psychotropic drugs and psychiatric pharmacy services

Some thoughts about psychotropic drugs and psychiatric pharmacy services

Medicine Prescribing Preference and Patient Adherence: Perspectives of Indian Medical Practitioners

Background: Indian Pharmaceutical market is well known for generic medicines and the government also promotes them due to their affordability. These medicines are manufactured by big, medium and small size companies and their quality are generally checked by analytical methods though real evaluation of medicines can only be ensure by medical practitioners (MP) who prescribe them which is based on therapeutic responses and adverse effects they notice. Perspectives of MP about prescribed medicines, price, therapeutic responses, adverse effects and their awareness about different interactions are valuable and may initiate for better treatment and healthcare system. Method: A survey of 111 MP was conducted on one to one basis in a form of questionnaire. Frequency, percentage, Chi square and Friedman test were applied to check the association and rank between different attributes. Results: Branded generic is preferred over innovator branded generic and generic by 63.1% of MP because 64.9% believe it has good therapeutic response and 68% experienced it has mild adverse effects while only 0.9% assumed it has high adverse effect. Only generic considered as highly affordable but it is prescribed moderately or less preferably. Self study is the main source of medicine information for MP but all of them do not have excellent or good drug-drug and drug-food interactions knowledge. Patients only adhere to their 70-90%, 40-60% and 10-30% instructions according to 33.3%, 45.9% and 16.2% MP respectively. Conclusion: There is excessive demand of high quality generic products for better safety of patients irrespective of its affordability. Efficient training programs are required for some MP to improve average interactions knowledge. Patient non-adherence needs prior attention by implementing patient involvement in treatment decision and educating them. Key words: Doctor, Generic, Healthcare, Medicine, Medical practitioner, Patient adherence.

Seven Semesters of Personal Drug Selection in a Caribbean Medical School

Personal drug selection is a process of developing standard treatments for common disease conditions using objective sources of medicine information. The exercise of Personal or P drug selection orients students to a sequential decision making process for solving therapeutic problems [1]. Students develop their set of P-drugs using national and international treatment guidelines, formularies, textbooks and other sources of medicine information. I had been previously involved in conducting sessions on P-drug selection and rational therapeutics in Nepal [2].

Survey of patients' experiences and their certainty of suspected adverse drug reactions.

Patients are best placed to recognize and monitor their own experiences of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), however they may need medicines information to help them do so. In Thailand patients rarely receive information leaflets, but are permitted to report ADRs directly to the regulator. To determine frequency of ADRs reported by hospital out-patients, the information sources used to evaluate suspected ADRs and patients' confidence in ADR identification. Srinagarind hospital in Khon Kaen, the second-largest province of North-eastern Thailand. A questionnaire designed for self-completion and distributed to out-patients at this tertiary hospital using systematic random sampling over a 2-month period. Frequency of reported ADRs, information sources confirming ADRs and degree of confidence in ADR identification. Of 1,195 questionnaires distributed, 1,044 usable responses were obtained (87.4 %). The majority of respondents were female (57.1 %) with average age 39.6 ± 13.6 years. Of 1,044 valid questionnaires, 257 (24.7 %) patients indicated they had experienced an ADR with high (56.0 %) and moderate (31.9 %) degree of confidence in ADR identification. The most frequent causative agent was an anti-infective (19.1 % of the patients). Major sources of information used for ADR assessment were healthcare professionals (35.5 %) and past ADR experience (25.5 %), with information leaflets being used infrequently (14.6 %). This study showed high frequency of ADRs among Thai patients who were mostly confident about casual relationships with medicines. Patients mostly used healthcare professionals as confirmation source to evaluate suspected ADRs. Reliable medicines information sources such as information leaflets should be made more widely available.

Expanding Role of Pharmacists in Delivering Clinical Services; General Practitioners’ and Pharmacists’ Viewpoint

The current study was planned to evaluate the perception of general practitioners and pharmacists regarding the role of the pharmacist in delivering clinical services and their willingness to work and collaborate with each other. The present study was cross-sectional and conducted from July 2015 till Nov 2015. The study population comprised of pharmacists and general practitioners, who were surveyed with a 42 items questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were employed to report the response of participants to questionnaire items. The association of the profession on the responses of participants towards the role of clinical pharmacists was determined by using an Independent sample t test at p 90%) thought that clinical pharmacist should be a source of clinical medicines information to general practitioners such as adverse effects of medicines and selection of a medicine for a particular disease state. Pharmacists (89%) and general practitioners (70.8%) considered it undoubtedly true that involvement of clinical pharmacist in medication management would enhance relationship between general practitioners and pharmacists and >90% of them agreed that the service would improve patients’ medicine-related health outcomes. General practitioners considered that pharmacists are drug information experts. Both groups were ambivalent about the government policies and did not believe that the current policies give sufficient recognition to patient care approach. The government should develop strategies to strengthen doctors-pharmacists relation, thereby enhancing the role of pharmacists in primary care.

Hospital pharmacists' roles and attitudes in providing information on the safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in Thailand.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used for patients to manage pain and inflammation, especially in older adults. Failure to cope with some adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of NSAIDs could lead to more serious symptoms, therefore, providing useful information about medicine is an important step in protecting patients from developing serious ADRs. The pharmacy service should be a frequent source of medicine information for patients, however in Thailand, little is known about pharmacists' provision of safety information to patients for management and prevention of these ADRs. Aims of this study were to determine Thai hospital pharmacists' roles in providing drug safety information and to assess their attitudes towards the importance of giving drug safety education to patients. All government hospitals in north-eastern Thailand. This study was a cross-sectional survey. A total of 761 pharmacists in 287 hospitals in north-eastern Thailand were selected by stratified random sampling. Self-administered questionnaires were sent by post, with two reminders. Proportion of hospital pharmacists providing ADR information on NSAIDs to patients, factors affecting this provision, and pharmacist attitudes towards drug safety education for patients. The response rate was 54.8% (N = 417), the majority of respondents worked in community hospitals (57.2%). A total of 347 pharmacists (83.6%) had informed patients about ADRs, although less than half had informed patients about ADR monitoring and management (36.6% and 44.1% respectively). The proportion of time spent in direct patient contact, type of hospital, and other routine work were associated with the frequency of drug safety information provision. Pharmacists had moderately good attitudinal scores towards drug safety education (62.2 ± 5.4), with significantly higher scores found in those who provided most ADR information to patients (60.3 ± 5.2 vs. 62.6 ± 5.4, P = 0.002). The majority (82.2%) agreed that patient information leaflets should be provided. Thai hospital pharmacists' provision of ADR information for NSAIDs may occur less frequently than is desirable. However, their positive attitude towards provision of ADR information suggests that drug safety education by pharmacists should be routinely provided to patients, particularly patients at high risk of NSAID use.

Design and comprehensibility of over-the-counter product labels and leaflets: a narrative review.

Over-the-counter medicines must be supplied with appropriate, user-friendly medicine information to satisfactorily support consumer self-management and safe use. Product labels and written medicine information leaflets are highly accessible over-the-counter medicine information sources for consumers. Factors such as comprehensibility and design underpin the usefulness of over-the-counter labels and leaflets and should be further examined to better inform future optimisation strategies. Aim of the review To undertake an in-depth exploration of studies that have evaluated design and/or comprehensibility of over-the-counter labels and written medicine information leaflets Methods Database searches were performed using Medline, Embase, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and PubMed. Studies exploring over-the-counter medicine label and/or leaflet comprehensibility and/or design were identified. Additional author and reference list searches were performed to identify studies which met the inclusion criteria and key terms. A total of 35 studies were included in the review, which explored OTC medicine information design and/or comprehensibility via researcher evaluation alone (n = 8) or with consumers (n = 27). Researcher-determined over-the-counter written medicine information leaflet readability (n = 4) has highlighted suboptimal readability, with few studies evaluating over-the-counter leaflet performance using the gold standard method of 'user testing' with consumers (n = 2). Variable over-the-counter label comprehensibility was identified in consumer studies, ranging from satisfactory understanding to considerable misunderstanding. The review findings indicate that consumer outcomes were influenced by information design, where implementation of good design principles generally improved over-the-counter label and leaflet performance. Significant diversity existed in study design aspects such as sampling frames, sample sizes and tools used to evaluate over-the-counter medicine information, which hindered the ability to adequately compare various study aspects and findings. A wide spectrum of consumer understanding of over-the-counter medicine labels is evident in the literature, with limited studies examining over-the-counter written medicine information leaflet comprehensibility with consumers. The application of good information design principles in over-the-counter labels and leaflets contribute to improved performance. Well-designed consumer studies are needed to ascertain and optimise over-the-counter label and leaflet performance.

Enhancing provision of written medicine information in Australia: pharmacist, general practitioner and consumer perceptions of the barriers and facilitators.

BackgroundWritten medicine information can play an important role in educating consumers about their medicines. In Australia, standardised, comprehensive written information known as Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is available for all prescription medicines. CMI is reportedly under-utilised by general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists in consultations, despite consumer desire for medicine information. This study aimed to determine consumers’, GPs’ and community pharmacists’ preferences for CMI provision and identify barriers and facilitators to its use.MethodStructured questionnaires were developed and administered to a national sample of Australian consumers (phone survey), community pharmacists and GPs (postal surveys) surrounding utilisation of CMI. Descriptive and comparative analyses were conducted.ResultsHalf of consumers surveyed wanted to receive CMI for their prescription medicine, with spoken information preferable to written medicine information for many consumers and healthcare professionals. GPs and pharmacists remained a preferred source of medicine information for consumers, although package inserts were appealing to many among all three cohorts. Overall pharmacists were the preferred provider of CMI primarily due to their medicine expertise, accessibility and perceived availability. GPs preferred CMI dissemination through both the GP and pharmacist. Some consumers preferred GPs as the provider of medicines information because of their knowledge of the patients’ medicines and/or medical history, regularity of seeing the patient and good relationship with the patient. Common barriers to CMI provision cited included: time constraints, CMI length and perceptions that patients are not interested in receiving CMI. Facilitators to enhance provision included: strategies to increase consumer awareness, longer consultation times and counseling appointments, and improvements to pharmacy software technology and workflow.ConclusionMedicine information is important to consumers, whether as spoken, written or a combination of both. A tailored approach is needed to ascertain individual patient preference for delivery and scope of medicine information desired so that appropriate information is provided. The barriers of time and perceived attitudes of healthcare practitioners present challenges which may be overcome through changes to workplace practices, adoption of identified facilitators, and education about the positive benefits of CMI as a tool to engage and empower patients.

Subjective Assessment to an Educational Tool Used for the Arabic Population with Diabetes in Australia = تقييم ذاتي لأداة تعليمية تستخدم للسكان العرب الذين يعانون من مرض السكري في أستراليا

Despite a rapid growth of Type 2 diabetes in Arab Australians, the management of diabetes in this population is yet understudied. The first aim of this study is to participants’ views about: taking medicines regularly, knowledge and feelings about diabetes, sources of medicines information, and special needs of being from an Arabic speaking background. The second aim is to explore participants’ feedback about the use of the Diabetes Conversation Map as an educational tool in Arabic. Focus groups were conducted in Arabic-speaking Australians with Type 2 diabetes who were asked about their knowledge and self-care skills of diabetes as well as experience of living with the disease. Common themes emerged from the focus groups included knowledge, state of mind, and needs of the Arabic speaking population. The findings provide valuable information for research in this area by designing interventions that would be translated to clinical practice.

Synthesizing Lessons Learned From Get With The Guidelines

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) is a trusted source of scientific information in cardiovascular medicine. The AHA/ASA has a longstanding commitment to support state-of-the-art scientific research in cardiovascular disease and stroke. The AHA/ASA has also developed a leadership role in translating cardiovascular science into internationally respected guidelines. In 2000, however, the AHA/ASA concluded that, to provide maximal benefit for patients with cardiovascular disease and those at risk, it needed to develop a rigorous approach to translating its guidelines into clinical practice. The result was a comprehensive suite of programs collectively called Get With The Guidelines (GWTG). Modeled in part on the University of California, Los Angeles Cardiovascular Hospitalization Atherosclerosis Management Program (CHAMP),1,2 GWTG was successfully piloted by the AHA in Massachusetts.3 Based on the success of the Massachusetts pilot, the AHA committed significant human and financial resources to extend the program across the United States. This commitment included the development of a national steering committee composed of AHA/ASA volunteers, and the addition of multiple modules including hospital-based management of coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, and resuscitation after in-hospital cardiac arrest. The scientific foundation of the program is the best evidence from the latest American College of Cardiology/AHA/ASA guidelines. GWTG staff work with participating hospitals to implement these guidelines by using AHA/ASA quality improvement professional consultation, workshops, and Webinars. In addition, the AHA developed sophisticated clinical databases (registries) through which hospitals and physicians collect information in real time for the assessment of quality, regional, and national benchmarking, national recognition, and the generation of new science. The AHA underwrites a portion of the costs associated with the technology platform and data collection tools to reduce the financial burden on participating sites. From the 4 GWTG disease-specific registries, >200 articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals. …

Promoting Evidence-Based Nursing Procedures by Partnering With a Vendor

RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING PROCEDURES are essential to quality health care. 1 Doran D.M. Mylopoulos J. Kushniruk A. et al. Evidence in the palm of your hand: Development of an outcomes-focused knowledge translation intervention. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2007; 4: 69-77 Crossref PubMed Scopus (41) Google Scholar , 2 Long L.E. Burkett K. McGee S. Promotion of safe outcomes: Incorporating evidence into policies and procedures. Nurs Clin North Am. 2009; 44 (x-xi): 57-70 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (8) Google Scholar , 3 Magrabi F. Westbrook J.I. Coiera E.W. What factors are associated with the integration of evidence retrieval technology into routine general practice settings?. Int J Med Inform. 2007; 76: 701-709 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (24) Google Scholar , 4 McGowan J.L. Grad R. Pluye P. et al. Electronic retrieval of health information by healthcare providers to improve practice and patient care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009; 3: CD004749 PubMed Google Scholar The translation of research, best evidence, and regulatory standards into procedures is resource intensive and requires vigilance as nursing science and standards rapidly evolve. 5 Borgonjen R.J. van Everdingen J.J. Bik C.M. Tuut M.K. Spuls P.I. van de Kerkhof P.C. Prospective comparison of three guideline development methods for treatment of actinic keratosis. BMJ Qual Saf. 2011; 20: 832-841 Crossref PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar , 6 Ketchum A.M. Saleh A.A. Jeong K. Type of evidence behind point-of-care clinical information products: A bibliometric analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2011; 13: e21 Crossref PubMed Scopus (23) Google Scholar Many health care institutions struggle to keep pace. 7 Shibilski J. Vogt P. Policies and procedures: From binders to PCs: A retrospective. J Nurses Staff Dev. 2002; 18: 103-106 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar Consequently, vendors have developed electronic evidence-based nursing procedures to fill this market niche. Many institutions partner with these vendors. 1 Doran D.M. Mylopoulos J. Kushniruk A. et al. Evidence in the palm of your hand: Development of an outcomes-focused knowledge translation intervention. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2007; 4: 69-77 Crossref PubMed Scopus (41) Google Scholar , 8 Courtney K.L. Demiris G. Alexander G.L. Information technology: Changing nursing processes at the point-of-care. Nurs Adm Q. 2005; 29: 315-322 Crossref PubMed Scopus (43) Google Scholar , 9 Ndosi M. Newell R. Medicine information sources used by nurses at the point of care. J Clin Nurs. 2010; 19: 2659-2661 Crossref PubMed Scopus (8) Google Scholar In essence, institutions are outsourcing development and upkeep of routine nursing procedures as part of their strategic resource planning. 10 Kahraman C. Engin O. Kabak Ö. Kaya İ. Information systems outsourcing decisions using a group decision-making approach. Eng Appl Artif Intell. 2009; 22: 832-841 Crossref Scopus (106) Google Scholar Currently, there is a paucity of evidence to guide vendor selection and product implementation. 3 Magrabi F. Westbrook J.I. Coiera E.W. What factors are associated with the integration of evidence retrieval technology into routine general practice settings?. Int J Med Inform. 2007; 76: 701-709 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (24) Google Scholar , 11 Gortzis L.G. Selecting healthcare information systems provided by third-party vendors: A mind map beyond the manuals. Inform Health Soc Care. 2010; 35: 1-9 Crossref PubMed Scopus (3) Google Scholar , 12 Gosling A.S. Westbrook J.I. Spencer R. Nurses' use of online clinical evidence. J Adv Nurs. 2004; 47: 201-211 Crossref PubMed Scopus (68) Google Scholar , 13 Shurtz S. Foster M.J. Developing and using a rubric for evaluating evidence-based medicine point-of-care tools. J Med Libr Assoc. 2011; 99: 247-254 Crossref PubMed Scopus (18) Google Scholar , 14 Younger P. Internet-based information-seeking behaviour amongst doctors and nurses: A short review of the literature. Health Info Libr J. 2010; 27: 2-10 Crossref PubMed Scopus (133) Google Scholar Nursing leaders often rely on consultation with peers and product vendors for guidance. Michele Wagner, MSN, RN, CNRN, is an Advanced Practice Nurse, Department of Nursing and Patient Care Services, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA Grace Matthews, MSN, RN, BC, is an Advanced Practice Nurse, Department of Nursing and Patient Care Services, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA Laura Cullen, DNP, RN, FAAN, is an Evidence-Based Practice Scientist, Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Nursing and Patient Care Services, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA

Comparison of Proxy Ratings of Main Family Caregivers and Physicians on the Quality of Dying of Terminally Ill Cancer Patients

Proxy data collection is a prevalent and important source of information in palliative medicine, and few studies have evaluated the level of agreement between different types of proxies. A study was conducted to compare the agreement in quality of dying of terminally ill cancer patients from the perspective of (i) the main family caregiver and (ii) the main caregiving physician. The Kappa statistic was applied to measure agreement between the proxies in a prospective study. Using the good death scale and the audit scales, 126 dyads (70%) were compared from a tertiary medical center in Taiwan. In general, the physicians rated quality of dying higher than did family caregivers. The kappa ranged from 0 to 0.232 for the five items, indicating marginal agreement. The prevalence index was applied to correct the Kappa statistic and showed the data to be asymmetrically distributed. Both proxies tended to agree at higher scores (Pneg = 0.745-0.996) in all five items and the total good death scale. For the audit scale, both proxies tended to agree at higher scores in most of the 12 items, except 'alleviation of anxiety', 'resolution of depression' and 'fulfillment of last wishes'. The observed agreement between the two proxies was good, except the psychological aspects, demonstrating the validity of proxy rating of patients between physicians and main caregivers. More communications toward the end-of-life issues should be encouraged and conducted in this population. Further research is needed to determine how to best use proxy assessments to evaluate the quality of the dying process.

P-drug selection: Choosing medicines objectively

I read with great interest the article by Banerjee I. about ‘Concepts of P drug selection’ in the current issue of the Nepal Journal of Epidemiology. Personal (P) drug selection is an excellent exercise to teach students to prescribe medicines based on objective criteria and unbiased sources of medicine information. I had been involved in initiating the exercise on P drug selection at Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara. I had also been involved with the exercise at KIST Medical College, Lalitpur. Recently I have started this exercise at the Xavier University School of Medicine at Aruba, Dutch Caribbean.DOI: http://doi.dx.org/10.3126/nje.v3i2.8510

Patients’ Use of Information about Medicine Side Effects in Relation to Experiences of Suspected Adverse Drug Reactions: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Medical In-Patients

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are common, and information about medicines is increasingly widely available to the public. However, relatively little work has explored how people use medicines information to help them assess symptoms that may be suspected ADRs. Our objective was to determine how patients use patient information leaflets (PILs) or other medicines information sources and whether information use differs depending on experiences of suspected ADRs. This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in six National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in North West England involving medical in-patients taking at least two regular medicines prior to admission. The survey was administered via a questionnaire and covered use of the PIL and other medicines information sources, perceived knowledge about medicines risks/ADRs, experiences of suspected ADRs, plus demographic information. Of the 1,218 respondents to the survey, 18.8 % never read the PIL, whilst 6.5 % only do so if something unexpected happens. Educational level was related to perceived knowledge about medicines risks, but not to reading the PIL or seeking further information about medicines risks. Over half the respondents (56.0 %) never sought more information about possible side effects of medicines. A total of 57.2 % claimed they had experienced a suspected ADR. Of these 85.9 % were either very sure or fairly sure this was a reaction to a medicine. Over half of those experiencing a suspected ADR (53.8 %) had read the PIL, of whom 36.2 % did so before the suspected ADR occurred, the remainder afterwards. Reading the PIL helped 84.8 % of these respondents to decide they had experienced an ADR. Educational level, general knowledge of medicines risks and number of regular medicines used all increased the likelihood of experiencing an ADR. More patients should be encouraged to read the PIL supplied with medicines. The results support the view that most patients feel knowledgeable about medicines risks and suspected ADRs and value information about side effects, but that reading about side effects in PILs or other medicines information sources does not lead to experiences of suspected ADRs.

Developing a national medicines information strategy in Finland—A stakeholders’ perspective on the strengths, challenges and opportunities in medicines information

Purpose and settingThe Finnish Medicines Agency was mandated to develop a national medicines information strategy. The objectives of this study were to assess stakeholders’ views on strengths, challenges and opportunities in medicines information for the basis of the strategy. MethodsInterviews among stakeholder representatives (n=28) from patient organizations, universities, pharmacies, and professional associations in medicine, pharmacy and nursing were conducted in 2011. Interview memos were thematically content-analysed. The draft strategy was finalized through two public hearings and a public consultation. ResultsStakeholders highlighted the need to increase cooperation and coordination in medicines information. The existence of numerous quality- and evidence-based medicines information sources was identified as a strength; although the stakeholders were concerned about the fragmented and unequal access to them. The strengthening of the role of health care professionals in communicating about medicines was seen as an opportunity, but its realization requires improvements in basic and continuing education. Furthermore, the stakeholders emphasized the importance of uniform medicines information regardless of source. ConclusionsStakeholders identified multiple strengths, challenges and opportunities in medicines information that were fundamental to developing the national medicines information strategy. An inventory of stakeholder perspectives can be recommended as a tool to support decision-making in pharmaceutical policy.

Medicines information needs during pregnancy: a multinational comparison

ObjectivesThe aim was to assess the perceived needs of medicines information and information sources for pregnant women in various countries.DesignCross-sectional internet-based study.SettingMultinational.ParticipantsPregnant women and women with children less than 25...