An increased demand by consumers for more prescription drug information has resulted in many consumer-oriented books on the subject. Fourteen such books were identified and assessed for readability, completeness, and accuracy. Ten drugs were randomly selected for review from among the 225 most frequently prescribed brand name and generic drugs for 1980. The Caylor formula was selected to evaluate readability. The thirteen points from ASHP's "Statement on Pharmacist-Conducted Patient Counseling" served as the basis by which completeness was measured. The United States Pharmacopeia Dispensing Information (USP DI) served as the standard professional reference for counseling patients about their medicines. It was used to test the completeness and accuracy
of each book. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) were selected for the readability and completeness sections. Readability means ranged from ninth grade to college level. The intrabook readability range width ranged from less than one grade level to over four grade levels. Completeness ranged from less than 30% to over 75% of the information provided by the USP DI. All test books achieved a minimum accepatble level of accuracy relative to the USP DI. Finally, the books were rated and ranked by various factors related to their readability and completeness.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/291395 |
| Date | January 1982 |
| Creators | Stratton, Timothy Patrick, 1957- |
| Contributors | Schondelmeyer, Stephen W. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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