title: How to improve the readability of the patient package leaflet: a survey on the use of colour, print size and layout.
abstract: This paper displays the results of the second part of a survey about patient information and the use of the patient package leaflet. The aim of this research is to investigate the consumers' attitude towards written information. As the formal aspects of the written message are very important in communication, we prepared a questionnaire in order to evaluate the attitude of patients towards some typographical modifications. Patients were invited to give indications about which colours could be used in the different paragraphs of the package leaflet and which print size could be easily read. All people interviewed were asked to choose a colour, from six proposed by us, to be used for 'therapeutic indications', 'side effects', 'how to use', 'paediatric use', 'contraindications', 'use in pregnancy' and 'warnings'. Clear suggestions for the choice of colours for therapeutic indications, side effects and contraindications arose from the survey. In the other cases there was no uniformity of answers. All people complained that the print size used in the package leaflet is too small and suggested 10 and 11 points Didot. Finally, from the survey it emerged that people would appreciate a more detailed package leaflet but information should be given in a schematic and concise way.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologia del Farmaco, University of Perugia via del Liceo, 1 06123 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernardini
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ambrogi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fardella
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perioli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grandolini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003116:Color; D003625:Data Collection; D004348:Drug Labeling / Q000592:standards*; D004358:Drug Therapy; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011327:Printing; D011932:Reading; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations