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97%
of Patient Education Materials Don't Work …Do Yours?
Research
shows that 97% of the patient education materials from pharmaceutical
companies and national health organizations can't be understood
by the average consumer.
Why? Because almost all of these materials
are written beyond the average person's reading level. In
addition, poor design and layout often compound the problem.
How does this affect the chances a
patient will fill a prescription, use and store it correctly,
and refill it at the proper time?
The results
are shocking.
10% of all prescriptions are never filled. The
impact on both initial and refill sales is enormous.
Even if the patient has the prescription
filled, nearly 50% of all prescription medications are used
incorrectly. The product never has a chance to be effective.
And finally, as many as 30% of all
refillable prescriptions are never refilled. Sales for medications
for chronic conditions suffer the most.
What happens
when your product isn't
used correctly?
 The
patient may not respond to the medication.- The patient may stop taking the
medication.
- The physician may prescribe another
medication.
Regardless, your product
is discontinued prematurely. You lose sales.
Your
Materials Must Meet
the Patient's Needs
Patients
need to be convinced that the medication will help them, and
that it's important to take it exactly as prescribed.
Effective patient information:
- Contains practical information.
- Is written in language the patient
can understand.
- Can be used easily by physicians,
pharmacists, and patients.
- Convinces the patient to fill the
prescription and take it correctly.
- Helps patients manage complicated
dosage times and side effects.
The average consumer reads between
the 6th and 8th grade levels. Yet studies
show that most patient education materials are written at
the 9th grade to college reading level. This means
patients can't understand them.
Researchers evaluating patient comprehension
found consumers couldn't understand many of the medical terms
used in patient education materials. (See
Chart)
No wonder many consumers ignore pamphlets
and package inserts.
[Click to to see enlarged view]
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