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Abstract
An inability to read and understand written medication instructions may be a major
contributory factor to non-compliance in certain patient populations, particularly
in countries with a high illiteracy rate such as South Africa. Twenty three pictograms
from the USP-DI and a corresponding set of 23 locally developed, culturally sensitive
pictograms for conveying medication instructions were evaluated in 46 Xhosa respondents
who had attended school for a maximum of 7 years. Respondents were tested for their
interpretation of all 46 pictograms at the first interview and again 3 weeks later.
The correct meaning of each pictogram was explained at the end of the first interview.
Preference for either the Local or USP pictograms was determined. At the follow-up
interview, 20 of the Local pictograms complied with the ANSI criterion of >/=85% comprehension,
compared with 11 of the USP pictograms. Respondents indicated an overwhelming preference
for the Local pictograms.