Consumer Understanding of Prescription Drug Indications in Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertisements.

Background: Prescription drugs may be indicated to treat more than one medical condition, and companies may promote more than one indication in the same direct-to-consumer (DTC) ad. This study examined how presenting multiple prescription drug indications in one DTC television ad affects consumers' processing of drug information.

Methods: We conducted two studies with adults diagnosed with diabetes (Study 1, N = 408) or rheumatoid arthritis (Study 2, N = 411).

Communicating therapeutic indication information in direct-to-consumer television ads for prescription cancer drugs: Exploring the effect of dual-modality presentations.

Objective: The rise in direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads for cancer drugs, which often have complex indications, raises concerns about consumer misunderstanding. A drug's indication must clearly convey its condition(s) of use, which may include elements such as the approved patient population, second-line treatment status, and whether it is adjunctive or concomitant therapy. The study examines whether the modality used to communicate the drug's indication in DTC television ads affects consumers' recognition, recall, and comprehension.

Laypersons' understanding of statistical concepts commonly used in prescription drug promotion: A review of the research literature.

Background: The prevalence of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription drugs has led to concerns about how consumers interpret the medical information conveyed in these ads. One strategy for improving lay understanding of medical information involves incorporating quantitative information about a treatment's potential benefits and risks.

Objective: This literature review investigates laypersons' interpretations of statistical concepts, expanding on past reviews and including terms that may be used in DTC prescription drug advertising.

Healthcare providers' understanding of data displays of clinical trial information: a scoping review of the literature.

Background: Healthcare providers often encounter clinical trial results in the form of visual data displays. Although there is a robust literature on patient responses to data displays in medical settings, less is known about how providers comprehend and apply this information. Our study provides a scoping review of the literature on providers' reactions to and perceptions of data displays.

Patient Understanding of Oncology Clinical Trial Endpoints in Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertising.

Background: This study examined how people interpret overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and progression-free survival (PFS) endpoints in the context of direct-to-consumer television ads. Although there is little research on this topic, initial evidence suggests that people can misinterpret these endpoints. We hypothesized that understanding of ORR and PFS would be improved by adding a disclosure ("We currently do not know if [Drug] helps patients live longer") to ORR and PFS claims.

Complexity of Data Displays in Prescription Drug Advertisements for Healthcare Providers.

Background: Healthcare providers (HCPs) often encounter clinical trial results in the form of data displays in prescription drug promotions. Information conveyed in data displays vary in their presentation and complexity. This study describes characteristics of data displays in prescription drug advertising targeted to HCPs.

A scoping review of empirical research on prescription drug promotion.

Background: Pharmaceutical spending on prescription drug promotion is considerable, and exposure to advertising can influence demand and behavior. The U.S.

Character-space-limited online prescription drug communications: Four experimental studies.

Background: Character-space-limited (CSL) communications (e.g., tweets) present a challenge for maintaining fair balance between risks and benefits in direct-to-consumer prescription drug promotion.

Attention to risk information in direct-to-consumer prescription drug print ads: An eye-tracking study.

Purpose: FDA regulations state print ads for prescription drugs must provide a true statement of information "in brief summary" describing "side effects, contraindications and effectiveness." To fulfill these requirements, these ads typically display risk information both as important safety information (ISI) on the "main" ad page with the product claims and on a separate "brief summary" page. The ISI can be lengthy and may repeat brief summary content.

The impact of interactive advertising on consumer engagement, recall, and understanding: A scoping systematic review for informing regulatory science.

We conducted a scoping systematic review with respect to how consumer engagement with interactive advertising is evaluated and if interactive features influence consumer recall, awareness, or comprehension of product claims and risk disclosures for informing regulatory science. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Business Source Corporate, and SCOPUS were searched for original research published from 1997 through February 2021. Two reviewers independently screened titles/abstracts and full-text articles for inclusion.

Assessing the Inclusion of Foil Items in a Scale to Measure Recognition of Health Messages.

Researchers frequently measure recognition of information in health messages by presenting participants with statements that were or were not in a message and then asking them to identify which were presented and which were not. Recognition scales are then calculated by summing the correct responses to both the true items and foils, or by summing the correct responses to the true items only. We used a sequence of psychometric analyses, including factor analysis and item response theory (IRT) analysis, to evaluate two recognition measures of this type, using data from previously published studies.

Physicians' use of and preferences for FDA-approved prescribing information.

Background: The Prescribing Information (PI) is the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s primary tool for communicating a summary of the essential scientific information needed for the safe and effective use of a prescription drug to healthcare providers.[1] One challenge with this type of communication is balancing the need to be thorough with the need to be concise.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore physicians' preferences for and understanding of specific content and formatting in the PI.

Consumers' experience with and attitudes toward direct-to-consumer prescription drug promotion: a nationally representative survey.

The way consumers get and seek health information reflects the current information landscape. To gather updated insights on consumer experiences with and attitudes towards direct-to-consumer (DTC) promotion of prescription drugs, we conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,744 US adults using a mail-push-to-web methodology with paper nonresponse follow-up. Results showed high exposure and indifferent attitudes to DTC promotion.

Administration of 3% Sodium Chloride Through Peripheral Intravenous Access: Development and Implementation of a Protocol for Clinical Practice.

Background: Patients with traumatic brain injury, cerebral edema, and severe hyponatremia require rapid augmentation of serum sodium levels. Three percent sodium chloride is commonly used to normalize or augment serum sodium level, yet there are limited data available concerning the most appropriate route of administration. Traditionally, 3% sodium chloride is administered through a central venous catheter (CVC) due to the attributed theoretical risk of phlebitis and extravasation injuries when hyperosmolar solution is administered peripherally.

Visual images of prescription drug benefits in direct-to-consumer television advertisements.

Objective: Images demonstrating a prescription drug's efficacy are often included in direct-to-consumer television advertisements. The current research assessed whether exaggerated efficacy images can mislead individuals, and whether providing accurate quantitative information can reduce these misperceptions.

Methods: We conducted two experimental studies with internet panelists 60 years and older testing drug efficacy images in television ads for wet age-related macular degeneration (N = 901) and plaque psoriasis (N = 902).

Development and validation of prescription drug risk, efficacy, and benefit perception measures in the context of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

Purpose: Understanding patient perceptions of prescription drug risks and benefits is an important component of determining risk-benefit tradeoffs and helping patients make informed medication decisions. However, few validated measures exist for capturing such perceptions. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate measures of perception of prescription drug risk, efficacy, and benefit.

Patients' Understanding of Oncology Clinical Endpoints: Environmental Scan and Focus Groups.

Background: Understanding treatment options is important for patients with cancer and their caregivers. This may be difficult, however, because oncology treatments are often approved based on complex clinical endpoints. The study aimed to explore lay understanding of oncology clinical endpoints by assessing the definitions of clinical endpoints available online and gathering qualitative focus group data on cancer survivors' and the general public's understanding of clinical endpoints.

Patients' understanding of oncology clinical endpoints: A literature review.

Objectives: Oncology clinical trials use a variety of clinical endpoints. Patients' understanding of the differences between clinical endpoints is important because misperceptions of treatment efficacy may affect treatment decisions. The objective of this literature review is to find and synthesize available empirical publications assessing patients' understanding of common oncology clinical endpoints.

Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising and Patient-Provider Interactions.

Background: Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising is prevalent and affects patient care. Previous research that examined its effect on the patient-provider relationship predates many changes in the advertising and medical landscape that have occurred in the last decade, such as the rise in online promotion and the push for value-based medicine.

Methods: We conducted a nationally representative mail-push-to-web survey of 1744 US adults in 2017 to explore how patients view the effects of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising on patient-provider interactions.

Consumer understanding of the scope of FDA's prescription drug regulatory oversight: A nationally representative survey.

Purpose: Misperceptions of how the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates prescription drugs may affect how consumers assess the safety and efficacy of prescription drugs. The study objective was to survey the public on their knowledge of FDA oversight regarding prescription drug approval and advertising.

Methods: In 2017, we conducted a nationally representative mail-push-to-web survey with 1,744 US adults.

The Effect of Including Quantitative Information on Multiple Endpoints in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Television Advertisements.

Previous research found that adding a single piece of quantitative information about prescription drug benefits to direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads helps consumers understand how well the drug works. However, drug information often includes quantitative information on multiple benefit outcomes and risks. Thus, we examined whether consumer understanding was similarly improved when DTC television ads include varying amounts of quantitative information.

Aging and Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Television Ads: The Effects of Individual Differences and Risk Presentation.

To determine how individual difference (age, cognition, and hearing) and risk presentation (audio frequency, speed, and organization) variables affect viewing of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug television ads, participants ( = 1,075) from four age groups across the adult lifespan took an in-person hearing examination, watched a DTC television ad, and responded to survey questions. Results showed that increased age was related to reduced cognition and hearing ability, as well as lower ad comprehension and risk recall. Greater speed and more complex organization of the ad's risk information lowered risk recall and claim recognition.

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs and the Patient-Prescriber Encounter: A Systematic Review.

We systematically reviewed the research on patients' and prescribers' perceptions of, and self-reported behaviors prompted by, exposure to direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) (For ease of reading we use the term "advertising" to encompass advertising and promotional labeling. Broad use of this term does not imply endorsement by FDA) of prescription drugs that occurs in the context of a clinical encounter. This research offers an important perspective on the broader goal of incorporating patient and prescriber voices in decision-making.