Low Literacy, High Risk: The Impact of Medication Errors on Health Outcomes
Medication can be transformative in terms of shaping health outcomes — it has the ability to alleviate symptoms, reduce disease burden, and improve overall well being. While this powerful tool is intended to better health outcomes, it can be harmful and even deadly if not used properly.
Medication errors occur when people do not take their medication properly, such as missing a dose or taking more medication than prescribed by their healthcare provider. Utilizing data from the U.S. Poison Control Centers, a study in the Journal of Toxicology reported 67,603 incidents of medication errors between 2000 and 2012.
While medication errors are a leading cause of death and injury for people of all ages in the U.S., most cases are preventable. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), only 12% of U.S. adults have “proficient” health literacy, including the ability to understand prescription labels correctly.
In an effort to improve health literacy, advertisers are in a unique position to promote health information that is more digestible and consumer friendly. By incorporating health literacy principles into patient information, advertisers can help ensure that patients are taking their medication properly and prevent potential adverse events.
