The goal of providing specifically edited Patient Product Information (PPI) to patients receiving prescriptions has been discussed and actively pursued in many countries during the last 20 years. The United States (US) pioneered the idea as early as the 1970s. Experimental implementation was more actively pursued in Continental Europe — Belgium, Sweden, and other countries — in the 1980s. The European Community (EC) adopted legislation to introduce PPI Community-wide in 1992/1993. Studies on education and communication with patients, and on the feasibility and usefulness of providing specific PPI, were carried out by a number of groups, often in conjunction with legislation, within a national context. Elements found useful in various political and cultural environments have been collected and referenced in order to provide ready access internationally.
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