[e-drug] Labelling of essential medicines is essential

["Stein Lyftingsmo" <stein@lyftingsmo.no>]

E-drug: Labelling of essential medicines is essential
---------------------------------------------

I have been looking at the WHO website for essential medicines.
I searched the site for the words label, labels, labeling and labelling.
No hits.

Not one hit!

This reflects the serious situation that there is very little PRACTICAL
information on the internet about labelling (=labels and leaflets) of
medicines. And that there is close to zero research (scientific and/or in
the industry) related to medical benefits of good labels.

The very first website devoted to this issue I believe is
www.patientpacks.com in UK, created about two years ago by Idris Hughes and
Simon Whitaker.  Patientpacks.com has had a positive impact on the
development on the problematic labelling situation on the British medicines
market.

I have as a private citizen made a website on labelling of medicines
www.lyftingsmo.no

Institute for Safe Medication Practice, ISMP www.ismp.org, and United States
Pharmacopeia, USP www.usp.org, has issued some label recommendations, as a
result of analysing cases of medication errors.

Communication Institute of Australia, CRIA www.communication.org.au, with
David Sless has done important research on the design and performance of
patient leaflets.

The International Pharmaceutical Federation, FIP has issued a statement as a
professional standard: Guidelines for the labels of prescribed medicines
http://www.fip.org/resources/labelling-English.htm

Labelling of essential medicines is essential - but is not treated as that.

Stein Lyftingsmo
Hospital Pharmacy of Elverum, Norway
www.lyftingsmo.no
stein@lyftingsmo.no
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