The Role of Pictograms for Enhancement of Patient Prescription Medication Information in the US

Abstract

Background: Approximately half of American adults have trouble understanding and acting on health information. United States Pharmacopeia (USP) pictograms are standardized graphic images that help convey medication instructions, precautions, and/or warnings to patients and consumers. No published literature exists regarding USP pictogram-based prescription instructions for adults in the US. Objective: To gauge the perceived effect of USP pictograms included within patient information handouts in community pharmacy settings in the US. Methods: Two sets of patient information handouts were made for each of 2 community pharmacies' self-reported top 20 medications: one containing USP pictogram-based patient information and the other containing the same text without pictograms. Over a 6-week period, patients filling or refilling a prescription for one of the 20 medications were offered counseling using either a pictogram- or non-pictogram-based handout, selected at random. A patient-administered survey assessed 4 criteria of the handout received: user-friendliness, long-term comprehension, likelihood of referring to the handout in the future, and effectiveness. Results: The addition of pictograms significantly increased only the likelihood of the patient referring to the handout in the future. Conclusions: Results suggest a potential role for USP pictograms that should be evaluated on a larger scale in the future.