ArticleHealth SA = SA Gesondheid2023
Pharmaceutical indication pictograms for low literacy viewers: Health literacy and comprehension.
Article in Health SA = SA Gesondheid, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evaluating Whether Icons and Visual Elements Help or Hinder Understanding of Key Information for Research Studies: Results From a Randomized Trial.Health literacy research and practice · 2026Trial
- Language-related self-efficacy of pharmacy staff in providing medication counselling to older adults in a linguistically diverse setting.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Article
- The Impact of Bilingual Communities on the Effective Communication Process in Open-Circuit Pharmacies: A Quantitative Study to Overcome Language Barriers in Patient Care from Eastern Region of Romania.Integrated pharmacy research & practice · 2026Article
- Pictogram comprehension and medication-use literacy among undergraduate students: a cross-sectional survey study.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Article
- Development of health information materials on antimicrobial resistance with lay workers in Grahamstown/Makhanda, South Africa.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Poor comprehension of pharmaceutical pictograms used on medicine labels or leaflets can compromise understanding of medicine-taking information, potentially causing negative health outcomes. Aim: The aim was to assess association of health literacy (HL) with comprehension of pictograms displaying indication and side effect information in a lower literacy, limited English proficiency (LEP) population. Setting: Community centre, Makhanda, South Africa. Methods: This was a quantitative cross-sectional study using simple random probability sampling. Ninety isiXhosa-speaking adults with a maximum of 12 years schooling, attending primary healthcare clinics were interviewed using structured interviews. Health literacy was assessed using the Health Literacy Test for Limited Literacy populations. Comprehension of 10 locally developed pictograms was evaluated. Results: The mean pictogram comprehension score was 7.9/10, with 8/10 pictograms complying with the International Organization for Standardization criterion of 66.7% correct comprehension. Only 15.6% of participants had adequate HL. A significant association of HL with pictogram comprehension was established ( Conclusion: Higher HL was associated with better pictogram comprehension. Low HL, LEP and low education levels are regarded as potential indicators for possible pictogram misinterpretation. Contribution: This study observed the potential for misinterpretation of medication pictograms. Health professionals should be aware that low HL, limited schooling and limited English proficiency could signal difficulty in fully comprehending pictogram content.
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