Comparative attitudes to verbal and written medication information among hospital outpatients

This study was undertaken to assess the comparative preference of pharmacy outpatients for verbal and written medication information and to identify factors that might influence these preferences. Two hundred forty-seven consecutive, literate outpatients presenting with a prescription for a penicillin were enrolled in the study and given standardized verbal counseling by a pharmacist and a medication information leaflet. Assessment was made at initial presentation and by a prepaid mail questionnaire completed anonymously by the patient at home. Preferences were analyzed by age, sex, and number of medications prescribed. A response rate of 63 percent (155/247) was obtained. Low recall of physician instruction (11 percent) was recorded. Respondent preferences were for pharmacist counseling (30.4 percent), leaflet (20.6 percent), both of these (44.5 percent), or neither/uncertain (4.5 percent). The only factor having a statistically significant effect on these preferences was age (31-55 y), which influenced preference for a leaflet. Patient opinion of each leaflet section is presented. Patient preference for a leaflet or verbal counseling with a leaflet provides further evidence that leaflets should be widely used.