Health Policy Research Update
A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that many patients misunderstood at least one of five instructions on medication labels.
Study results indicate that comprehension of instructions might be especially difficult for people with low levels of literacy and the illiterate, but even those with "adequate literacy skills" at least partially had difficulty understanding the instructions. The report recommends standardization of label instructions and making directions easier to understand.
This week's Health Policy Research Update also includes:A study on the factors that make patients likely to leave an emergency department before seeing a physician; and
Research suggesting that quality of care should be determined by factors such as prevention, counseling and diagnosis, not the treatment of certain diseases.