Evaluation of a Patient Information Leaflet
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of the ‘Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for you? Information for patients and the public’ patient information leaflet.
IRAS ID
214874
Contact name
Kathrine Gibson Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Robert Gordon University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 28 days
Research summary
The provision of patient information, via leaflets, is a method which may be used to empower individuals to take ownership of their health and utilised as a means to increase health literacy. However, although patient information leaflets may be beneficial to health literacy, there are key issues which may prevent any increase. For example, the Royal College of General Practitioners suggest that 43% of adults in the United Kingdom are unable to understand health information presented in text e.g. leaflets.
Further, an observational study of patient information leaflets seeking to determine the readability concluded that a number did not satisfy readability criteria and would be unlikely to promote health literacy. The findings highlight the importance of ensuring that patient health information is presented in a manner which is clearly comprehensible to the target audience and in particular, is understandable to those with lower levels of literacy.
The Scottish Government has developed the ‘Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for you?’ patient information leaflet. In eight pages, this provides information for patients to support patients in informed decision making related to medicines, which is aligned to the increased focus on decision making recommended within ‘Realistic Medicine’ in NHS Scotland.
In an effort to promote health literacy this study will seek to explore the acceptability and comprehensibility of the ‘Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for you?’ patient information leaflet to both patients and healthcare practitioners. The study will utilise semi-structured telephone interviews to explore acceptability and comprehensibility. Healthcare professionals and patients will be recruited from four GP surgeries and four pharmacies within Grampian.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EE/0461
Date of REC Opinion
4 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion