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

Background: Patient misunderstanding of prescription drug label instructions is a common cause of unintentional misuse of medication and adverse health outcomes. Those with limited literacy and English proficiency are at greater risk.

Objective: To test the effectiveness of a patient-centered drug label strategy, including a Universal Medication Schedule (UMS), to improve proper regimen use and adherence compared to a current standard.

A randomized trial of a prenatal genetic testing interactive computerized information aid.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether an interactive computer program could improve patient knowledge regarding genetic screening and diagnostic concepts.

Methods: In this randomized trial, women 6-26 weeks' gestation were assigned to standard care with provider-based counseling or to augmented counseling with an interactive computer program. The computer-based tool conveyed information about genetic testing options.

Impact of electronic prescribing on medication use in ambulatory care.

Objectives: To investigate differences before and after rollout of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) in (1) patients' primary adherence to newly prescribed medications, (2) patients' understanding of how to use their medications, and (3) multiple pharmacy use.

Study Design: Postvisit interviews and follow-up phone calls were done with 344 patients at an academic general internal medicine clinic.

Methods: Patient interviews and follow-up phone calls were done (1) before e-prescribing, (2) 1 to 6 months after e-prescribing, and (3) 12 to 18 months after e-prescribing.

Usability of FDA-approved medication guides.

Background: Medication guides are required documents to be distributed to patients in order to convey serious risks associated with certain prescribed medicines. Little is known about the effectiveness of this information to adequately inform patients on safe use.

Objective: To examine the readability, suitability, and comprehensibility of medication guides, particularly for those with limited literacy.

Are informed consent forms for organ transplantation and donation too difficult to read?

Informed consent for organ transplantation and donation is an ethical obligation, legally required, and considered as part of the Patient's Rights Condition of Medicare Participation for hospitals. National policy-makers recommend that informed consent forms and patient education materials be written at a low reading level (5th-8th grade level) to facilitate patient comprehension. We assessed reading levels of informed consent forms (CFs) for adult organ transplant recipients and living organ donors across US transplant centers.

Ask, understand, remember: a brief measure of patient communication self-efficacy within clinical encounters.

Patients' ability to effectively communicate with their health care providers is an essential aspect of proper self-care, especially for those with chronic conditions. We wanted to develop and validate a brief, reliable measure of patient communication self-efficacy within clinical encounters. Consecutively recruited patients (n = 330) with diagnosed hypertension from seven primary care clinics in Chicago, Illinois, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Shreveport, Louisiana completed an in-person interview including chronic disease self-efficacy, hypertension knowledge, health literacy assessments, and items modified from the Communication and Attitudinal Self-Efficacy (CASE) - Cancer scale.

Measuring patients' self-efficacy in understanding and using prescription medication.

Objective: To create a brief assessment tool, the Medication Understanding and Use Self-Efficacy Scale (MUSE).

Methods: An existing scale (Communication and Attitudinal Self-Efficacy Scale) was modified, augmented, and piloted among 267 primary care patients in Chicago, New York City, and Shreveport, LA. Participant sociodemographics, literacy, current medication use, understanding medication instructions, and medication self-efficacy were measured.