962 ■ The Annals of Pharmacotherapy ■ 1998 September, Volume 32 OBJECTIVE: To review the literature and provide recommendations for the development and dissemination of written medication information to patients and their care providers. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search (1966–1997) of the English- language literature was performed to identify articles pertaining to the development or use of written medication information. A search of the Internet was conducted by using Yahoo as the guide and “medication information” as the search term. Additional resources were obtained through texts, bibliographies, and catalogs from medical publishers. DATA EXTRACTION: Reports documenting the creation and use of written medication information systems were reviewed, as well as studies of readability and reading skills assessment. Examples of materials available for purchase by laypeople and healthcare providers were also examined. DATA SYNTHESIS: Current statistics support the widespread availability of written medication information for patients and care providers. The goal set forth by the Food and Drug Administration of having 75% of patients receive written information by the year 2000 appears achievable. However, there are still many issues to address. Content is not standardized, and materials are frequently written at reading levels higher than that of the average patient. The development and use of resources requiring only minimal reading skills and an increase in the availability of materials written in Spanish are needed. CONCLUSIONS: Written medication information provides a useful addition to counseling by healthcare professionals. A wide variety of prepared materials is available, as well as resources for those interested in developing tools for a specific patient, population, or setting. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the limitations of some resources. Content and readability must be appropriate for the intended audience for these tools to serve a useful role in patient education. KEY WORDS: drug information, written. Ann Pharmacother 1998;32:962-9. WRITTEN MEDICATION INFORMATION is an important com- ponent of health education for patients and care providers. When used as an adjunct to verbal counseling, written in- formation can reinforce specific instructions or warnings. It can also provide a means for introducing supplemental information that may be difficult to convey during a brief counseling session. The benefits of written medication in- formation on improving recall of dosing instructions and potential adverse effects have been well documented. 1-6 In 1989, Gibbs et al. 3,4 reported on two studies of the im- pact of prescription information leaflets for several common medications. In the first study, 3 719 patients taking either nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents, β-adrenergic recep- tor antagonists, or inhaled bronchodilators were inter- viewed. Written medication information was provided to 419 patients, while the remaining patients served as con- trols. All patients received verbal counseling by a physi- cian or pharmacist. After 1 week of treatment, patients who received the leaflets had significantly greater recall of the purpose of therapy, dosing instructions, storage infor- mation, and potential adverse effects than controls. Im- proved knowledge of adverse effects was not associated with an increase in the number of adverse effects reported by the patients. Patient satisfaction was also greater in the group receiving leaflets, even after follow-up at 12 months. In those patients continuing use of β-adrenergic receptor antagonists at 12 months, 70% still had their information leaflets. The authors produced similar results in a second study 4 utilizing leaflets for penicillins, diuretics, and ben- zodiazepines. Written medication information can take several forms, from single-page leaflets such as those used by Gibbs et al. to more extensive brochures, texts, or computer programs. It may be provided by physicians, pharmacists, and nurses, or be purchased directly by the consumer. Three basic fac- tors must be met to provide optimal medication informa- tion, regardless of source or format: the materials must be readily available, the content must be useful to the patient or care provider, and the information must be easy to read and understand. This article reviews the literature available on written medication information and provides recommendations on the use of these tools to educate patients and their care providers. Techniques for developing new written medica- tion information materials are presented, as well as a re- view of published resources available in text or database formats. Providing Patients with Written Medication Information Marcia L Buck Drug Information Marcia L Buck PharmD, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Children’s Medical Center; and Clinical Associate Professor, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, Universi- ty of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA Reprints: Marcia L Buck PharmD, Department of Pharmacy Services, Box 274-11, University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, FAX 804/982- 1682, E-mail mlb3u@virginia.edu