ABSTRACT
The inadequacies of providing information verbally or on a label leads logically to the provision of information in leaflet form. Studies investigating verbal communication alone have shown a variable effect on knowledge of, and adherence to, medication; it can increase knowledge, but it is less likely to improve adherence The shift towards written information appears to be particularly marked in the field of drug therapy. Most treatment regimes require the patient to be given a certain amount of information if they are to be able to adhere to the treatment. Increasing acceptance by health professionals of the relative ineffectiveness in effectiveness of their verbal interventions appears to be one reason why the written form has become an important method for delivering information to patients. Medicine reminder charts incorporate both such elements and are particularly useful for patients on multiple medication.
