A short-term cohort study on comprehension and recall of United States Pharmacopeia pharmaceutical pictograms among Spanish adolescents
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To explore the recall of United States Pharmacopeia pharmaceutical pictograms among Spanish adolescents completing formal education, with an emphasis on evaluating the impact of prior exposure on their comprehension. METHODS: A cohort study was conducted among 62 secondary education students during the 2021-2022 academic year. Two sessions were conducted: an initial assessment of pictogram comprehension and a recall assessment after 4 weeks. The evaluation of pictograms from the United States Pharmacopeia was conducted in compliance with the International Organization for Standardization 9186-1 standard. Statistical analyses included McNemar's tests for paired proportions and a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance to compare comprehension rates between sessions. KEY FINDINGS: The mean comprehension rate increased from 68.35% in the transparency test to 80.57% in the recall test, representing a significant improvement (P = 0.041). Specific pictograms, such as 'Do not use additional salt' (P = 0.003) and 'Do not take other medicines with this medicine' (P = 0.001), demonstrated significant improvements in recall, while others did not show notable changes. CONCLUSIONS: Prior exposure was found to significantly enhance the recall of pharmaceutical pictograms among adolescents. The implementation of a dual strategy combining visual aids and educational interventions is recommended to optimize the use of pictograms and support proper medication use among future end-users.
DOI: 10.1093/ijpp/riaf091
Institution: Universidad de Granada
Language: English
Topic: Safety Warnings and Signage
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4415260373