READABILITY OF PATIENT INFORMATION LEAFLETS ON OVER-THE-COUNTER (OTC) MEDICINES

Objective. To assess the readability of a sample of patient information leaflets included with over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. Design. Fifty leaflets were obtained from a selection of proprietary products currently available on the U.K. market. The leaflets were scored using six established readability tests. Results. The mean reading age was 15.4 using the Flesch test and 14.8 using the FOG and the SMOG tests. The individual reading age values for the leaflets ranged from 10 to 20 years. These mean values are well above the mean reading age of the general adult population. Conclusion. Manufacturers need to devise a means of producing leaflets which are easier to read. This is all the more urgent given the trend to down-regulate more potent medicines for non-prescription sale.