The lack of appropriate patient/consumer information is often cited as a major cause of medication misuse and drug-related morbidity. This paper reviews recent guidelines for improving written patient information for both prescription and over-the-counter medications. Discussion focuses on three complex issues: providing complete and specific information, providing understandable and usable information, and providing attractive and well-designed materials. Inevitable tradeoffs in meeting these objectives pose a significant challenge to designing more effective patient/consumer materials.
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