Effectiveness of A Printed Leaflet for Enabling Patients to Use Digoxin Side-Effect Information

Abstract

The effectiveness of a printed leaflet designed to inform patients about digoxin was evaluated. The printed leaflet alone was compared to the verbal consultation alone and the verbal consultation in addition to the printed leaflet. The study assessed patients' decisions about the appropriate course of action to take if side-effect symptoms occurred.

Patients receiving the printed leaflet alone scored higher than patients receiving the verbal consultation; however, they scored lower than patients receiving both the printed leaflet and verbal consultation together. Patients receiving both verbal and printed information scored significantly higher than those receiving verbal consultation only.

The findings suggest that printed materials together with verbal consultation are essential for enabling patients to make appropriate decisions with respect to side effects. There is not enough evidence to support the use of printed materials in place of verbal consultation. Health practitioners should use printed materials as an adjunct to verbal information.

Keywords

digoxin patient education adverse reactions

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Consumers Union of the United States, Inc. Petition to the FDA to require more adequate patient labeling of prescription drugs. FDA Trac 1975(Mar);no. 7500769.

Prescription drug products; patient package insert requirements. Fed Reg 1982;47 (8)1773.

Hulka

Cassel

Kupper

. Communication, compliance and concordance between physicians and patients with prescribed medications. Am J Public Health 1976; 66: 847–53.

Svarstad

. Physician-patient communication and patient conformity with medical advice. In: Mechanic

ed. The growth of bureaucratic medicine. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1976:220–37.

United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc. Patient package insert meeting presentation. USP docket 1981;(Sept):no. 79N-0186.

American Medical Association. Patient medication instruction sheets. Washington, DC: American Medical Association, 1982.

FDA releases final report on patient receipt of prescription drug information (news). Am J Hosp Pharm 1984;4/:230.

Patient information and education about drugs. AACP News 1982;/J.-159-60.

Morris

Halperin

. Effects of written drug information on patient knowledge and compliance: a literature review. Am J Public Health 1979; 69: 47–52.

10.

Board of Pharmacy. Definitions of elements of practice of pharmacy. Oregon Administrative Rules 1984;855-O6-OO5 (5).

11.

Pharmacists urged to “give the answers.” Apharma Weekly 1984;23 (39) 161–2.

12.

Ley

. Towards better doctor-patient communications. In: Bennett

ed. Communication between doctors and patients. London: Oxford University Press, 1976:75–98.

13.

Fleckenstein

Joubert

Lawrence

Patsner

Mazzullo

Lasagna

. Oral contraceptive patient information: a questionnaire study of attitudes, knowledge and preferred information sources. JAMA 1976; 235: 1331–6.

14.

Udkow

Lasagna

Weintraub

M. Tauroshunes T

. The safety and efficacy of the estrogen patient package insert: a questionnaire study. JAMA 1979; 242: 536–9.

15.

Kanouse

Berry

Hayer-Roth

Rogers

Winkler

Garfinkle

. Informing patients about drugs—analysis of alternative designs for estrogen leaflets. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corp, 1981.

16.

Wiederholt

Kotzan

. Effectiveness of the FDA-designed patient package insert for benzodiazepines. Am J Hosp Phann 1983; 40: 828–34.

17.

American Society of Hospital Pharmacists. Medication teaching manual. 3rd ed. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, 1983.

18.

Nie

Hull

Jenkins

Steinbrenner

Bent

. Ss

: statistical package for the social sciences. 2nd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975.