We are pleased that our publication, "How to Create a Pill Card" has
generated such interest and discussion, and that many of you find it to be a
useful tool. We would like to address some of the concerns that have come up
regarding the use of graphics to represent times of day and medical
conditions. 

 

-      The graphics provided in the template are intended as a guide for use
if appropriate and easily understood by the patient.

o        We recommend that patients actively participate in the creation of
the card, if possible, and choose graphics that make sense to them.

o        The provider or person creating the card should also explain each
graphic to the patient each time the patient is given a card.

 

-      We realize that these graphics are not ideal but wished to provide
suggestions that are readily available in the public domain.

o        As noted in the guide, all graphics in the template are from the
Clip Art gallery of Microsoft Word. If other graphics are available when
creating a pill card, we encourage the user to incorporate the most
appropriate graphics for each individual patient.

o        Again, the patient should participate in determining which graphics
will be used, and should receive an explanation of each graphic used on the
card. 

 

One person recommended the Hablamos Juntos project
(http://www.hablamosjuntos.org/) for information about the development and
use of universal healthcare symbols for healthcare signage. These symbols
were extensively researched and developed for use with Limited English
Proficiency (LEP) patients. We are interested in the possibility of a
similar project to develop symbols for use on the pill card.  

 

This guide was developed as part of the Pharmacy Intervention for Limited
Literacy (PILL) study.

-      The pill card depicted in this guide is based on an electronic card
that was generated by a software program and evaluated during the study.

-      During development of the software, the developers conducted several
focus groups with patients to determine which graphics would be most
appropriate for use on the pill cards.

-      When possible, we provided graphics similar to those used in the
electronic pill cards in the manual guide. 

            

Finally, there were some concerns that the templates were not easy to copy
and paste into other documents for use.

-      We have added a Word version of the guide to the site, and this
should facilitate use of the templates.
http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pillcard/pillcard.htm

 

Thanks!

Kara

 

Kara L Jacobson, MPH, CHES

Senior Research Associate Faculty

Emory Center on Health Outcomes and Quality

1518 Clifton Road Room 668

Atlanta, GA 30322

404-712-8530 (voice) 404-727-9198 (fax)

 

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