An investigation on patient attitudes toward package inserts and their accessibility in Iran

BACKGROUND: Package inserts (PIs) can be a source of information for patients, especially when clinicians do not provide adequate consultations to the patients. Therefore, for the first time, we investigated the state of PIs in Iran and evaluated patients’ attitude toward PI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive study, conducted in a major teaching pharmacy in Isfahan, Iran, in 2016, 100 patients who presented a prescription were interviewed randomly and all medications in their medication bags were examined. The main outcome measures were whether or not the dispensed medications were accompanied by a PI and the behavior of patients in reading these PIs. RESULTS: From the 237 medication items investigated, 129 (54.4%) were dispensed with a PI. Eighty-four percent of patients read the PIs and only 19% stated reading a non-Farsi PI. The level of education was the only significant factor related to reading the PI (P = 0.02). Reading the side effects was the main reason for reading the PI (64%). PIs were considered useful by 83% while 25% kept PIs as a source of drug information. Experience of fear to take the medication after reading the PI was reported by 47%. CONCLUSION: About half of medications were dispensed along with the PI. Although the majority of patients report reading the PIs and consider them useful, confidence in using the medicine may be diminished after reading the PI. Patients with higher education read the PIs the most.