Stefano Spalvieri
Senior Researcher, The Health Policy Partnership
Transitioning to electronic product information (ePI) can make medicine information more accessible and tailored to the needs of each person compared to current paper-based methods.
Providing people with accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive information about their medicines is critical. However, existing paper-based information about medicines (such as patient information leaflets) has significant shortcomings.
The information is often displayed in small type and in complex language that can be difficult to understand – especially for people with lower literacy or certain disabilities. Possibly as a result, US data suggest that fewer than 50% of people read the information that comes with their medicines.
Electronic product information solution
Electronic product information (ePI) refers to the transition of paper-based medicine information into an electronic format. This digital solution, which is being implemented in countries around the world, offers potential benefits for patients and medical professionals while also improving overall health system efficiency. It also provides an environmentally sustainable alternative to paper-based information.
ePI benefits for people taking medication
Enhanced forms of ePI can contain videos, filters, larger fonts and other tools to make the information easier to read and understand. This helps empower people in their care and potentially improves their adherence to treatment.
When fully integrated into other digital platforms, enhanced forms of ePI could overcome many of the limitations of paper-based medicine information.
ePI can contain videos, filters, larger fonts
and other tools to make the information
easier to read and understand.
Helping health systems with environmental sustainability
ePI can help improve the efficiency of medicine development, making it more environmentally sustainable. The development of medicine information is a costly process with a high carbon footprint. It requires reprinting every time there is a product update; the information also needs to be available in multiple languages, culminating in a significant use of water and paper.
Fully transitioning to a digital solution could bypass this resource use, improving efficiency in medicine supply chains — and streamlining supply chains would allow medications to reach patients faster. For example, using ePI, Singapore was able to launch three medications to patients 12 weeks earlier than would have been possible if paper labels were required.
ePI should be delivered equitably
Like all digital solutions, ePI needs to be co-designed with patients and people at risk of digital exclusion to ensure that all can benefit from it equally.
