title: All Consumer Medication Information Is Not Created Equal: Implications for Medication Safety.
abstract: Many Canadians take prescription medications. These medications often have both benefits and potential consequences associated with their use. Additionally, instructions for how to administer some medications (e.g., inhalers, eye drops) maybe be critical in maximizing the beneficial effects of using medications. This study examined the Consumer Medication Information (CMI) from a leading Canadian pharmacy and revealed none of the 10 CMI contained information about allergic reactions, overdoses, or drug interactions. This lack of information may come at the expense patient safety. Additionally, much of the content identified as important was not readily differentiable from the surrounding text. Further, inhalers were the only category of medication that did not have specific use instructions but instead directed consumers to consult other resources. Thus, there are opportunities to augment CMI to improve the safe and effective use of medications. The shortcomings of CMI identified in this study represent important considerations for CMI as it is currently delivered (printed text) and opportunities to improve upon CMI as it is beginning to be offered online.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Information Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Monkman
authors.affiliation: School of Health Information Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC.
authors.forename: Andre W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Kushniruk
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D004348:Drug Labeling; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services; D010594:Pharmacies; D055553:Prescription Drugs
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs
keywords: consumer medication information; medication; patient education; patient medication information; pharmacy; prescription; readability