Consumers’ Medication Schema for Package Inserts

Background Due to the recent passage of the over-the-counter (OTC) drug sales bill, thirteen kinds of OTC drugs are now available at supermarkets and convenience stores in Korea. The present study was motivated by this change in OTC drug sales in Korea. To help consumers take OTC drugs appropriately, we investigated how consumers perceived package inserts by investigating their medication schema and further aimed to suggest ways to improve the instruction design of package inserts. Methods We sampled package inserts from the ten best selling OTC drugs in Korea and selected twelve items for the survey. In the questionnaire, the participants were first asked to order the twelve items according to their importance (order task) and then to categorize the twelve items into groups (sort task). In addition to the main tasks, the participants were asked to indicate the items they did not know the meaning of and the unincluded items they wished to have included. Further, they were asked how often they read package inserts. Finally, questions regarding sex and age were asked. Results To extract the schema, hierarchical cluster analyses were carried out on the data from the order and sort tasks. The results suggest two-cluster solutions for both the order and the sort tasks. For the order task, the three most important items: efficacy & effects, warning, and directions and doses were grouped together and the remaining items were grouped into one group as well. For the sort task, one group included information on medication intake and specific details regarding the drug, such as efficacy & effects, warnings, directions & doses, letter of “misuse/abuse concerns,” names and quantity of active ingredients, methods of storage, and so on. This information is usually what consumers need about medication. The other group included general information about drug and pharmaceutical companies, such as the product name, company name and address, and package unit. Conclusion The results of the present study provide a possible information design reflecting medication schema and thereby helping people easily access functional information. Imposing structure on package inserts may encourage people to consult them even when there is much information. In addition to structuring, increasing the visibility or salience of important information can enhance its accessibility. Other important improvements to be made are employing easy and frequently used words instead of jargon and difficult Sino-Korean words, and avoiding overly technical and detailed information.