From Mr G. S. Raivid, MRPharmS
SIR,-I read the paper "Do patients see, read and retain the new mandatory medicines information leaflets?" (PJ, February 12, p268) with interest and I should like to comment.
No account seems to have been taken of the reading ability of the patients and I should like to refer the authors to some work which has been done on this problem.
The following references all come from The Pharmaceutical Journal where a letter from me about the reading ability of patients was published (January 11, 1997, p59) as well as comments from "Onlooker" (October 4, 1997, p534, and February 21, 1998, p352).
Also, the Office of National Statistics has published "Adult literacy in Britain", which contains information from a survey carried out in 1996.
Finally, there was a United States survey (August 23, 1997, p274), also mentioned by "Onlooker".
All of these references point to a very real problem regarding information leaflets and their ability to impart information to the public at large.
My final comment is not really within the scope of the paper on leaflets as published, but some thought should be given to large print leaflets for the visually impaired, and there may be a requirement for audio-tapes or Braille versions. After all, we are supposed to be caring about the disabled.
Godfrey Raivid
London NW4