The Netherlands has launched a set of more than 50 pictograms to illustrate how medicines should be taken. The pictures will be combined with physician instructions and the information leaflets.
Not following the correct instructions when taking prescribed medicine is a significant public health issue as it prevents patients from fully benefitting from an effective treatment.
“For the safety and effectiveness of medicines, it is important that people use them correctly. Therefore, the instructions on the package insert and information materials must be crystal clear to everyone,” Appropriate Care Advisor for the Dutch Innovative Medicines Association (VIG) Anne Dreves said.
Visual aids reinforce the message
Patients in Europe have traditionally been verbally given information about the correct use of their medicines by a healthcare professional, along with written information in a manufacturer’s patient information leaflet (PIL). However, these leaflets are known for their small print and lengthy texts.
Patients with low health literacy and the elderly prefer clear pictograms – illustrations of the instructions—in addition to the other explanations they receive.
The Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (CBG) coordinated a public-private partnership that saw 17 different entities, including the VIG, collaborating on producing the medicinal pictograms. While some images were already in circulation, there were different versions, which meant that patients needed to constantly relearn their meaning.
After testing rounds for comprehensibility with people with lower literacy and in pharmacies, a new uniform set was developed.
First in Dutch pharmacies, later in Europe
In a statement, the CBG said Dutch patients will soon start finding the new pictograms in the information their pharmacists provide them. The pictograms will then be rolled out to webshops and other websites selling over-the-counter medication.
Eventually, the visual aids will be printed on the medication packaging and will be visible on pharmacy shelves.
“Clear, unambiguous pictograms like these help because images often say more than words. I am very proud that we have come up with a set of pictograms with 17 parties. I look forward to encountering these pictograms in practice,” CBG Chairperson Prof. Ton de Boer said.
The CBG now aims to expand the initiative further, including elsewhere in Europe.
According to the VIG, using medicines correctly does not only benefit the individual patient. This is because the appropriate use of medicines can also contribute to easing the pressure on healthcare systems by increasing the chance of effective therapy while reducing the chance of medication errors.
“The pictogram set is a valuable instrument in this respect; it helps people use their medicines correctly and increase their therapy compliance,” Dreves said.
“I think this collaboration is a good example of how healthcare providers can achieve something great by putting the patient first. It is, of course, important that people know which medicines they can use safely, and the introduction of these pictograms can help with that,” said Dutch Health Minister Fleur Agema (PVV) during the pictograms’ presentation.
[Edited by Vasiliki Angouridi, Brian Maguire]
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Publish date : 2025-02-19 16:02:00
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