Using pictures and symbols, rather than handwritten words, on prescriptions helps patients who cannot read take their medicines correctly when they leave hospital, according to a report.
Findings from research carried out in Pakistan have been published in the journal BMJ Quality Improvements.
The idea was first tested in a Lahore hospital using simple pictures of the sun, moon and stars to help patients understand when and how long to take their medication for.
The project has now spread and is currently being rolled out in Canada and doctors hope it will soon be adopted in the UK, where a recent survey estimated that one in five adults is 'functionally illiterate.'
Work by Dr Matthew Clayton and colleagues, working in outpatient clinics in Lahore found that even after counselling, only 12% of illiterate patients understood their prescription when leaving hospital. This left them risking relapses or possible under or overdosing.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article