I have seen many changes in the practice of pharmacy, yet the one constant in my role as a pharmacist has been personal relationships developed over the years with each of my patients. According to U.S. News and World Report, pharmacists are the most trusted professionals. That is because pharmacists are the medication experts, we maintain patient confidentiality, we take time to communicate with our patients, and we are the most readily accessible heath care providers in most communities.
On May 1, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention issued prescription container labeling standards. Reportedly, these standards are designed to provide a universal approach to the format, appearance, content and language of instructions for medications. They ask pharmacists to organize prescription labels in a “patient-centered manner using explicit language to describe dosages and intervals, improving readability with clear formatting, including purpose for use,” and in language that is understood by those with limited English comprehension.
Will these new labels bring about better patient adherence and compliance and avoid medication errors?
For some, it may suffice as a way to instruct patients, when it’s actually more important that the pharmacist counsels patients on how to take their medications. After all, no matter how large, descriptive or informative the label is, there will never be a substitute for the face-to-face interaction a pharmacist has with the patient. This provides the opportunity to ensure patients understand what they are taking, why they are taking it, and how best to take it — for example, by instructing a patient how to use an inhaler, or double-checking the patient’s other medications and supplements to prevent adverse interactions.
Under a federal law that went into effect in 1990, all pharmacists were required to counsel their patients on the appropriate use and storage of their medications. The response from most of the retail pharmacy community was to supply long-winded, overly technical printouts of information called “patient education monographs” in the medication bags. Signing the electronic signature log and waiving their right for counseling unfortunately has become the norm for patients over the years; however, this is not in the patients’ best interests.
According to the Institute of Medicine, more than one-third of adults in the United States have “limited health literacy.” Drs. Ruth Parker and Roger Williams write in the accompanying article that nearly half of patients misunderstand their dosage instructions, and we need to do better.
Simply adding more information to the medication label is not the lone answer to the issue of improving patient adherence and compliance. The pharmacist has a role and responsibility to counsel and communicate with his or her patients. A lengthier prescription label should not be used as a substitute for one-on-one counseling from a pharmacist.
Ira Katz has been a pharmacist and owner of Little 5 Points Pharmacy in Atlanta for more than 32 years.
