QI initiative seeks to provide patients with clearer medication information at the pharmacy

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A new quality improvement initiative that aims to disseminate newly designed patient medication information to patients filling prescriptions at participating pharmacies has been launched.

The QI initiative stems from an ongoing multistakeholder workgroup convened by the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution under a cooperative agreement with the Food and Drug Administration. The workgroup includes: Catalina Health; the Medical Cognition Laboratory at Duke University; Emory University School of Medicine; the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University; GlaxoSmithKline; Janssen; Pfizer; Purdue University College of Pharmacy and the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Effectiveness Research.

Catalina Health said that through voluntary telephone and online responses, it will survey patients to confirm that they received the new PMI, assess whether patients found the information useful and determine how they would like to receive this newly formatted patient medication information in the future. All survey data collected by Catalina and other healthcare partners will be kept in accordance with all federal and state privacy laws.

"Patients frequently receive safety information about their prescriptions that is difficult for them to understand and too often not followed correctly," Catalina Health president Renee Selman said. "Catalina Health has a long history of working to get patients clearer information. In 2008, Catalina was one of the groups that spearheaded a citizen's petition urging FDA to improve the information patients receive. Based on efforts the FDA had taken, the citizen petition was withdrawn. We are proud to be leading this quality improvement initiative to see what patients think about the newly formatted information."

Janet Woodcock, the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, said, "The FDA wants patients to have the most important information needed to take their medications safely. We commend these organizations for helping to generate evidence to ensure that PMI meets that need."

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