Transforming patient care through clarity and simplicity, Duke-NUS Medical School has introduced visual aids or pictograms designed to make medication instructions clearer. Duke-NUS researchers, together with their collaborators, introduced 35 pictograms and are now working with public healthcare institutions and pharmacies, to encourage adoption of the pictograms so that patients, especially seniors, can take their medications correctly and safely. Given that patients access care services across different healthcare clusters, these pictograms will also help standardize medication-related pictograms across healthcare institutions and pharmacies in Singapore.
The pictograms can be pasted or printed on prescription medication packets and bottles, to supplement medication labels by hospitals, polyclinics, GP clinics and pharmacies that convey vital information such as medication name and dosing instructions. The pictograms were tested among patient groups and were found to be easily understood. Currently, each prescription medication bottle or packet is dispensed with a medication label that provides instructions for patients.
Most of the instructions are only in English, and some patients have difficulty understanding them. This is particularly the case for older adults who struggle with English and have poor eyesight. In Singapore, more than half (53%) of those aged 65 and above, cannot read English.
In a 2020 study of 1,167 older adults, 1 in 2 reported having difficulty in u.