Health literacy among patients with poor understanding of prescription drug label instructions in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction: This study conducted to assess the health literacy level among patients who have poor understanding of the medications' labels in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted on two phases. In the 1st phase, 511 patients waiting for their medications in the outpatient pharmacies of four major hospitals in Saudi Arabia were interviewed to assess their understanding ability of the labels of five of the commonly prescribed medications.

Patients' understanding of prescription drug label instructions in developing nations: The case of Saudi Arabia.

Background: Processing health-related data is challenging for patients. It is believed that low education level and low socioeconomic status are associated with prescription label misunderstanding, which may lead to poor clinical outcomes, increased adverse drug reactions, and increased health costs.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain a better insight into the current understanding of prescription drug labels, and to determine the main factors affecting patients' understanding of prescription labels.