In California, there’s an issue currently being debated in the pharmaceutical community regarding whether or not medicine labels should feature the language of the patient receiving them. Although opinions vary, the systems needed to create such labels should be consistent to avoid flaws, imperfections and damages.
Though this state in particular is a good example of this practice because it boasts a high level of different spoken languages among its residents, all markets should be aware of this.
An article in California Healthline quotes statistics that suggest that out of a sample of 200, a majority of pharmacies in that state do actually offer translated labels, and more than 40 percent of the residents of the state don’t speak English.
However, the opponents of translated labels cite the inconvenience and cost, as well as the issues that might arise from dispensing medication with labels that are not written in the pharmacist’s own language.
But the source quotes UC-Davis’ Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, saying that the cost of using these translated labels is less than that of not using them.
“It is more expensive not to provide the right treatment in a way that patients will comply with,” he said. “They will potentially be in harm’s way, which will require them to use emergency services, which is also expensive.”
At the end of the month, this topic will be addressed in a meeting of the California State Board of Pharmacy, as Southern California Public Radio said.
All labels need to be given the same standard of clarity and crisp ink: Even if the patient can understand the language, it is useless if the printed words aren’t legible.
Leave a Reply