Patient expectations and awareness of information regarding adverse reactions in drug labelling in China

BackgroundThe misunderstanding of adverse drug reaction labelling information is not conducive to the rational use of drugs. There has been no research on how doctors can effectively transmit information on adverse drug reactions to patients in China.ObjectiveTo assess how well patients understand the adverse reactions presented in the labelling of drugs and how much information they want from their doctor regarding the adverse reactions.SettingThe study was conducted in secondary medical institutions, tertiary medical institutions and community healthcare centres in Shanghai.MethodA cross-sectional self-administered survey was conducted from November 2018 to March 2019. Mixed methods involving paper questionnaires and online surveys (scan a QR code by the WeChat app) were used.Main outcome measureParticipants' demand for adverse reaction information.ResultsA total of 295 people completed the questionnaires, of which 31.8% of people thought that the greater the number of adverse reactions listed on the label of a drug, the more insecure they felt about that drug. At the same time, 30.13% of people thought that if the adverse reactions listed on a label were undefined, then the drug was safe for use (for example, some Chinese patent medicines). Most of the respondents (45.4%) thought that it was better to give a brief description of possible adverse reactions and to answer patients' questions in detail only if necessary.ConclusionsMost patients wanted doctors to give them a brief introduction to serious and common adverse reactions when they prescribed drugs, and only a small percentage of people wanted to obtain all the information about adverse reactions. It was found that many people misunderstood the contents of the adverse reactions provided on the labels and equated the number of adverse reactions with drug safety.