Improved readability Style and format of the text is as important as the content of what appears on the label. High-contrast print is ideal as are simple uncondensed fonts. Punctuation should be sentence case, with the first word capitalized. The most important text should be in a large font size such as Times New Roman in size 12-point or Arial 11-point. No font should be smaller than size 10-point in Times New Roman. There should be adequate white space on the label so the patient can distinguish different sections such as the directions for use and pharmacy information. All labels should be printed horizontally. Important information should never be truncated or abbreviated, and if there are multiple times of day when a dose should be taken those instructions should appear on separate lines. Emphasize instructions and other information important to patients The most prominent information on the label should be critical to the safe and effective use of the medicine. The patient’s name, the drug name (full nonproprietary/generic and brand name), the strength and explicit, but simple, instructions for use should be at the top of the label. Other information such as the prescriber name, pharmacy name, fill date, etc., should still be on the label, but none of it should supersede critical patient information. Nonessential information may distract a patient, so it should be placed away from the dosage instructions. Simplify language To better assist patients of all literacy levels in more easily understanding what is written on the label, only common terms and sentences should be included and unfamiliar words such as Latin or medical jargon should not be used. Give explicit instructions To minimize confusion surrounding doses that are taken multiple times per day, the instructions for use should separate the dosage amount from the timing of the dose. If a certain time of day is required for dosage, then specific times such as morning, noon, evening and bedtime should be used. An example of an explicit instruction is: “take two tablets in the morning and two tablets in the evening.” Directions that include exact times of day or even mealtimes are discouraged as they present conformity issues when a patient has an alternative work schedule. I A C P C U S T O M Rx C O N N E C T I O N I A C P R X . O R G 11
Custom Rx Connection
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