New Prescription Labeling Guidelines Promote Medication Safety for People with Vision Loss
March 4, 2008 (New York, NY)—To help the 20 million people with vision loss properly identify prescription medications, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) Foundation joined forces with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to develop “Guidelines for Prescription Labeling and Consumer Medication Information (CMI) for Persons with Vision Loss.” The Guidelines provide pharmacists and pharmacies with specific recommendations for making important medication information accessible to patients with vision loss and will serve as a resource for persons with vision loss and organizations serving this population.
Access to prescription information, including drug labels and usage instructions, is essential for the correct taking of medication. For individuals with vision loss, not being able to read this information is a particularly dangerous problem. Currently, people with vision loss must rely on memory, use compensatory strategies or devices, or depend on someone else for help. As a result, many people with vision loss and older adults with reduced visual acuity are unable to “access” important instructions for use and safety information from prescription labels and CMI.
“The lack of accessible prescription and over-the-counter medication label information poses a serious public health threat due to the potential misidentification and misuse of drugs,” said Judy Scott, Director of the AFB Center on Vision Loss. “These guidelines will allow consumers with vision loss ready access to the vital information on medication labeling, enabling them to take medications safely, effectively, and independently.”
Read the rest of this article on the new prescription labeling guidelines to promote medication safety for people with vision loss.
