Patient and caregiver opinions about an FDA-developed generic drug educational handout: A pilot cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To examine patient and caregiver opinions and "receptivity" regarding generic drug educational material in terms of content, format and design, delivery channel, and level of satisfaction. METHODS: Interviewer-administered surveys were conducted with patients and caregivers who were clients of a regional medication management program or pharmacy services clinic to gather perceptions about generic drugs and input on a generic drug educational handout developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Survey questions were developed by the investigators and pretested before use. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and responses to open-ended questions were assessed using qualitative content analysis. Survey psychometrics were examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). RESULTS: Of the 100 survey participants, most (93%) had positive perceptions about generic drug safety and effectiveness after reading the handout. Most participants were satisfied or very satisfied with the handout's content (87%) as well as format and design (92%). However, more than 20% of participants were still unsure about the benefits and risks of generic drugs compared with those of brand drugs, and more than 15% were still unsure about which benefits and risks mattered most to them. The participants' preferred source for the handout was a pharmacy (49%) or doctor's office (27%). In an EFA of the survey instrument, 2 factors emerged related to the educational handout's content: (1) generic drug information, a 7-item factor (Cronbach alpha = 0.882); and (2) personal relevance, a 3-item factor (Cronbach alpha = 0.692). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate an overall positive "receptiveness" toward generic drug informational materials from patients and caregivers, which highlights the feasibility and importance of educational outreach programs about generic drugs targeted toward this population. Future studies may focus on more diverse populations and tailor materials to the needs of specific patient and caregiver subgroups and health literacy levels.

Healthcare provider opinions about a generic drug educational newsletter.

BACKGROUND: Increasing the prescribing and dispensing of generic drugs, compared to branded drugs, may increase patient access to affordable drug treatments. Healthcare providers have information needs regarding generic drugs, but available, tailored education materials designed for provider use are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To examine healthcare provider opinions and receptivity regarding generic drug educational materials in content, format and design, delivery channel, and level of satisfaction. METHODS: A national online survey was conducted in summer 2018 to gather practicing healthcare prescribers' (i.e., physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants) and pharmacists' opinions on an educational newsletter developed through a collaboration between the investigators and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Quantitative analyses were performed using SPSS version 24 (IBM, Armonk, NY), while responses to open-ended questions were assessed using qualitative content analysis in Excel. RESULTS: A total of 208 surveys were completed. Overall, participants expressed positive opinions about the newsletter's content and format/design. About 69% of prescribers and 60% of pharmacists stated the newsletter gave information that will help them better serve patients. While 15% of surveyed pharmacists stated that they did not have resources to help them get information on generic drug availability and cost, more prescribers (37%) responded similarly. Both prescribers and pharmacists preferred to receive this newsletter via email from the FDA or a professional association. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate the feasibility of educational outreach programs about generic drugs targeted towards healthcare providers. There is room for improvement in making prescribers and pharmacists aware of resources for learning about generic drug availability and cost. Future studies may test alternate versions of the newsletter that have been tailored to the needs of specific provider specialties or provider practices serving specific patient sub-groups, as well as preferred dissemination frequency.

Communicating benefits and risks of generic drugs to consumers: Patient and caregiver opinions of two FDA-developed educational materials.

BACKGROUND: Increasing prescribing and dispensing of generic drugs, compared to brand drugs, may increase patient access to affordable medications. However, little is known about patients' and caregivers' needs and receptiveness regarding the design of educational materials about generic drugs. METHODS: The research used focus groups of patients and caregivers who were students or employees of one university in the Southeastern U.S. to gather input on the optimal content, format and design, delivery channel, and level of satisfaction for two existing, FDA-developed educational materials about generic drugs (infographic and brochure). RESULTS: Participants stated a need for the materials to modernize their graphics, emphasize generic drug cost-savings for consumers, reduce scare tactics when discussing adverse events, and be disseminated directly from physician's offices and pharmacies. Despite an overall positive impression of the materials, participants wanted more consumer-oriented materials that were tailored to fit the needs of different types of patients/caregivers, including older adults. CONCLUSIONS: This paper discusses how these findings relate to theories of multimedia learning and guidelines for designing health educational materials, as well as implications for the development of tailored generic drug educational materials for use in public health campaigns to improve access to medication therapy.