Evaluation of quality and readability of over-the-counter medication package inserts

Over-the-counter (OTC) medication package inserts are vital references for healthcare professionals to make drug recommendations and influential education materials that patients commonly refer to when self-caring. However, little is known about the quality and readability of the OTC medication package inserts in China.

This study aimed at evaluating the quality and readability of OTC medication package inserts.

Package inserts of OTC medication were selected based on the market share and pharmacological category. The quality of the package inserts was evaluated based on standards adapted separately from the Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Working Group. The readability was assessed using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) in conjunction with the Chinese Readability Index Explorer (CRIE).

A total of 29 OTC medication package inserts consisting of 12 Western Medicine (WM) and 17 Chinese Tradition Patent Medicine (CTPM) package inserts were included. Overall, the OTC package inserts met 92% of the NMPA standards and 54% of the EMA standards. In terms of readability assessment using PEMAT, the overall median (interquartile range) understandability score was 38% (38-45%) and for actionability score was 40% (40-55%). The overall text reading level of package inserts measured by the CRIE, after removing some medical jargon, is equivalent to the median reading level for the 12th (9.5-12th) grade reading level.

The quality of OTC medication package inserts was satisfactory under internal standards but poor under international standards. Some OTC pharmacological information is not provided due to lack of research, especially for CTPM. A more informative and comprehensive package insert may be needed to guide drug use decisions. OTC medication package inserts are not appropriate patient education materials in terms of readability. Additional materials may be developed to supplement package inserts for patient education for OTC medications.