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Category: Project

Description: Many medication side-effects are not a result of the pharmacological action of the drug itself, but are instead the result of negative expectations. Negative expectations can be generated by the patient information leaflets (PILs) which are required to be distributed with every medication. Current communication of side-effect risk in PILs leads to gross overestimation of side-effect risk by the general public. Reframing this information to communicate the number of people who remain side-effect free may reduce these negative expectations and subsequent side-effects. How best to frame side-effect risks in PILs is uncertain. Using a nationally representative online survey, this study compared two versions of a positively framed PIL to current practice to see which is most effective in generating accurate side-effect expectations and risk perceptions whilst maintaining public satisfaction with, and credibility ratings of, the PIL itself. This research was funded by the BA/Leverhulme Small research grants scheme awarded to Dr Rebecca Webster (SRG19\190568), derived from the Academy’s partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Dr Rebecca Webster and Dr G.James Rubin are affiliated to the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Emergency Preparedness and Response at King’s College London in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), in collaboration with the University of East Anglia and Newcastle University. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the Department of Health and Social Care or Public Health England.