Trial reportInternational journal of clinical pharmacy2014
Modified labels for long-term medications: influences on adherence, comprehension and preferences in Malaysia.
Trial report in International journal of clinical pharmacy, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The role of pictograms in improving patients' medication adherence: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Patient satisfaction survey of the "Healthy Heart" pharmaceutical care service - evaluation of pharmacy labelling with pharmaceutical pictograms.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Evaluation of a pharmacist-led intervention to improve medication adherence in patients initiating dabigatran treatment: a comparison with standard pharmacy practice in Poland.BMC primary care · 2022Article
- Older adult and family caregiver experiences with prescription medication labels and their suggestions for label improvement.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2021Article
- Medication Adherence and the Role of Pictograms in Medication Counselling of Chronic Patients: a Review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Review
- A narrative review on do's and don'ts in prescription label writing - lessons for pharmacists.Integrated pharmacy research & practice · 2018Review
- Comprehensibility of selected United States Pharmacopeia pictograms by illiterate and literate Farsi speakers: The first experience in Iran - Part II.Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences · 2017Article
- Article
- Effectiveness of color and picture labeling in improving the knowledge on topical medications among patients with psoriasis: A randomized controlled trial.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciencesArticle
- Recall of Pharmaceutical Pictograms by Older Adults.The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacyArticle
- Redesigning pictographs for patients with low health literacy and establishing preliminary steps for delivery via smart phones.Pharmacy practiceArticle
- Improving pediatric liquid medication labeling of the hospital information system in Malaysia: qualitative analysis of pharmacists' perceptions.Pharmacy practiceArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInability to read instructions on drug labels has been identified among the Malaysian population since 1990's.
objectiveTo assess the impact of font-enlarged and pictogram-incorporated labels used for long-term medications on patients' adherence, comprehension and preferences.
settingOutpatient pharmacy in one of the major general hospitals across Northern Malaysia.
methodThis was a three-arm, randomized controlled trial. Outpatients with refill prescriptions of selected oral antihypertensive or antidiabetic medications were screened for eligibility. They were randomly allocated with standard (n = 35), font-enlarged (n = 40) or pictogram-incorporated (n = 35) labels. Assessment of baseline adherence scores using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, comprehension scores using a structured questionnaire and preferences was conducted upon recruitment. Follow-up telephone interviews were conducted after 4 weeks.
main outcome measureThe changes of patients' adherence and comprehension scores and their preferences.
resultsWithin-group comparisons demonstrated an increase of total adherence scores after 4 weeks in all three groups (mean changes 0.35, 0.58 and 0.67; p = 0.029, 0.013 and 0.011, respectively). The repeatedly measured total comprehension score of pictogram-incorporated label group was significantly higher than baseline (mean change 0.37, p = 0.010). Two intervention groups obtained significantly higher scores for few items in both adherence and comprehension measurements after 4 weeks as compared with baselines. As indicated by F tests, three groups did not significantly differ in the changes of both total adherence and comprehension scores (p = 0.573 and 0.069, respectively) with the subjects' age adjusted. Elderlies and those with a higher number of morbidity preferred pictogram-incorporated label over font-enlarged label.
conclusionWe did not find a significant change of both adherence and comprehension levels after the introduction of modified medication labels. However, on the basis of within-group comparisons, they may have positive influences on certain aspects of patients' adherence and comprehension. Variations in preferences may reflect the unique need of different subgroups in receiving written medication instructions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.