Regional, national and international datasets: How they improve our understanding of the acute harms associated with prescription medicine misuse

Primary groups such as relatives, neighbors and friends are a source of support that health care providers overlook. We present a theoretical framework which suggests primary groups can help prevent the misuse of prescription medicine. Kin are especially helpful in assisting elderly to take medications on a long-term basis where the regimens are fairly simple. It may also be especially important to engage kin in helping the older minority woman to understand the doctor. Even at a distance, kin may be able to provide such assistance and should not be discounted as a resource. Neighbors can be helpful in getting a medicine needed unexpectedly and might assist with relatively complex routines that last for only a brief period. Friends who have had similar experiences are especially helpful when the medicine is prescribed on an as needed basis by teaching the client how to judge when a dose is needed.

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Designing Effective Warnings about Addiction on the Patient Information Leaflet of Over-the-Counter Codeine Sold in England to University Students

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17155490 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (15) ◽

pp. 5490

Author(s):

Jianan Zhao ◽

Yun Chen ◽

Ting Han ◽

Stephen Westland

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Patient Information ◽

Information Design ◽

Warning Signs ◽

Information Communication ◽

Over The Counter ◽

Heat Map ◽

User Perceptions ◽

Information Leaflets ◽

Medicine Misuse

(1) Background: The harm of misusing over-the-counter (OTC) codeine-containing medicines among university students in England is being increasingly recognized. Based on English university students, this paper aims to study the importance of information design on information communication, explore methods for effective warning design, and investigate university students’ perception of OTC codeine. (2) Methods: The effective warning design is addressed through case studies, answering correctness by the heat map generated from the eye-tracking experiment (ETE), and the total time spent on the tasks. User perceptions are made though online surveys. (3) Results: Information design significantly affects the way user processes information. Therefore, two emphasized warnings displayed in the headline, and the “possible side effect (PSE)” sections and warning signs of addiction presented under the PSE are suggested as effective ways to display warnings. For students’ perception of OTC codeine, 80% of university students are unfamiliar with the substance. After reading the patient information leaflets (PILs), 47% recommended tight regulation on codeine. (4) Conclusions: The misuse of OTC codeine could be a potential problem among English university students. The design of the PIL significantly influences the chance of unintentional medicine misuse. The display of warnings on the PILs of OTC codeine should be redesigned for better understanding.

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