User testing of the effectiveness of revised “Drug Guides for Patients in Japan” in paper-based and online formats for an anticoagulant

Author: Ken Yamamoto, Hirohisa Doi, Iori Hirosawa, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Michiko Yamamoto

Category: Pharmacy

Abstract:

Although “Drug Guides for Patients” provide official prescription drug information in Japan, they have not been subjected to user testing. This study assessed the guides’ usefulness by examining their accessibility and understandability through a user-testing scenario with questionnaire-guided semi-structured interviews. Participants were 20 nonhealthcare professionals including simulated patient groups at Showa Pharmaceutical University. Paper-based and online guide formats for Prazaxa® capsules, an anticoagulant, were tested in two rounds of 10 participants from April 2016 to March 2017. After the first round, the guide was revised and retested. The revised version was superior to the current one for both formats. Regarding accessibility, there was a significant difference between the current and revised versions for both the paper-based (p = 0.001) and the online format (p < 0.001). Regarding understandability, the current and revised paper-based versions were understood by 95% and 98% participants, respectively, and the online format by 98% and 99% participants, respectively. Participants scored the revised version higher for amount of information, number of pages, readability, usefulness of information, and layout and appearance. We showed that the accessibility and readability of the revised Drug Guide for Patients were superior to those of the paper and online formats of the current version.

Keywords: user testing, drug information for patients, Drug Guides for Patients, readability, comprehensibility