A Patient-Centered Prescription Drug Label to Promote Appropriate Medication Use and Adherence

Area of Science:

• Health literacy
• Medication adherence
• Patient safety

Background:

• Patient misunderstanding of prescription drug labels leads to medication misuse and adverse health outcomes.
• Individuals with limited literacy and English proficiency face higher risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a patient-centered drug label strategy, including the Universal Medication Schedule (UMS), for improving medication regimen use and adherence.
• To compare this strategy against current standard labeling practices.

Main Methods:

• A two-arm, multi-site patient-randomized pragmatic trial involving 845 English- and Spanish-speaking patients with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension.
• Intervention involved a patient-centered label (PCL) with prioritized information, larger font, and UMS for timing.
• Outcomes measured by proper regimen use and medication adherence via self-report and pill count at 3 and 9 months.

Main Results:

• The PCL group showed slightly better proper regimen use at first exposure (76.9% vs. 70.1%) and at 9 months (85.9% vs. 77.4%).
• Significant benefits were observed for English speakers, patients with limited literacy, and those with complex medication schedules (≥2 doses/day).
• Overall medication adherence did not significantly improve, but regimen use saw positive trends.

Conclusions:

• Simple modifications to pharmacy labeling, like the PCL strategy, can yield modest improvements in medication regimen use.
• These improvements are most pronounced in patients with limited literacy and those managing complex medication regimens.
• The strategy requires minimal investment and offers a practical approach to enhance patient understanding and medication management.