Increased patient adherence: as simple as giving patients better information in drug packaging
Eyeforpharma London: Dr Rota, President, ALT (Association against Thrombosis and Cardiovascular disease) and physician, says accessible language “is fundamental to educate the patient on the importance of taking the medication at the correct intervals and to encourage compliance.”
Current information contained in the packaging is inadequate. Not only does it deter patients from reading because of the emphasis on the side effects, but “patients get scared and tend to reduce the correct doses of the drugs, so losing the therapeutical effect.” As well as not wanting “to be scared”, most patients don’t trust the information provided. Dr Rota has noted that most people regard the primary purpose of the information sheet to cover themselves against legal repercussion in the event of adverse side effects.
Increasing patient adherence is still a major concern for pharma, yet ensuring the information included in the drug packaging is more user friendly and understandable could dramatically increase the number of patients taking their medication correctly.
Only a small change would be needed. According to Dr Rota, the packaging could easily become more accessible through illustrations, colours and a system designed to draw attention to the most important concepts.
The fact remains that patients do not think this information is made “for the purpose of teaching them how to manage the medication in a safe manner, but is made with the purpose of protecting the producer on legal grounds” she says .
The natural inference thus is henceforth that, in addition to increasing patient adherence, improving this relatively simple matter could also help build trust in the industry.
Dr Rota will be presenting at The Patients Summit 2014, London, 17-18 June, on how pharma can better develop its relationship with patients as well as how patients feel pharma could do more to help them. Click here for further detail