건강정보 이해증진을 위한 복약안내문 전문용어의 개선

Conversion of Professional Terminology Used in Written Medication Instruction to Plain Terminology to Improve Health Literacy

Despite the increasing importance of medication counseling in pharmacies, written instructions for prescription medications often contain medical terminology that is reportedly difficult for laypeople to understand. This study was conducted to evaluate whether laypeople understand professional terms -and their equivalent layperson’s terms- in written instructions for drugs that are frequently dispensed at community pharmacies; professional terms in instructions were converted to layperson’s terms, and study participants’ understanding of those instructions was measured before and after conversion. This cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on 348 adults (excluding healthcare professionals) in November 2018; the participants’ comprehension levels were evaluated on a 4-point Likert scale. Twenty selected professional terms were converted to layperson’s terms using the Standard Korean Dictionary, Korean Pharmacopeia, and the Korean Medical Library Engine. Results showed that prior to conversion, more than 50% of respondents could not understand 13 of those terms; after conversion, all terms were understood by a majority of the respondents. The mean comprehension score (2.23 points before conversion) significantly improved to 3.48 points after conversion. For all 20 terms, the percentage of respondents who answered “understand” (3 or 4 points) was 43.6% before conversion; this percentage increased to 88.6% after conversion. We found that the layperson terminology adopted in this study effectively improved the general public’s comprehension of professional terms. We hope that efforts to convert professional terminology to layperson terminology continue in order to ensure appropriate drug use.