Electronic Package Leaflets for Vaccines: What Are People's Perceptions in Italy?
Angela BechiniFabrizio ChiesiBarbara GiammarcoEleonora GoriMariarosaria Di TommasoNoemi StrambiElisabetta AltiPaola PicciolliGiovanna MereuMaria Grazia MoriGiovanni Vitali RosatiPierre Van DammeMartina BambergerPaolo BonanniSara BoccaliniPublished in: Vaccines (2022)
In Italy, the paper package leaflet (PPL) is the official document that is approved by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) for each medicine. PPLs of all medicines, including vaccines, are freely available online by accessing the AIFA website. To investigate people's attitudes toward possible access to the PPLs of vaccines and the acceptability of switching to an electronic package leaflet (e-leaflet) in the future, we surveyed three target groups (pregnant women, young parents, and older people) in Italy, via an online survey. We collected 321 questionnaires from the cohorts, which comprised 104 pregnant women, 105 young parents, and 112 older people. The results indicate in all target groups that health care professionals (HCPs) do not usually offer the vaccine PPL during the vaccination session: only about 10.7% of respondents receive the PPL without asking for it, with pregnant women receiving it the most frequently. The acceptance rate for switching from a PPL to an e-leaflet is fairly high in all target groups (76.9% in pregnant women, 81.9% in young parents, and 66.1% in the elderly), especially if the option exists to request a paper print, to make sure that people with a low level of digital skills can access the PPL information as well. HCPs have an important role in ensuring access to the PPLs of vaccines. HCPs should be trained to inform their patients about the different options for accessing the PPLs (as well as online access) to increase their patients' knowledge and satisfaction.
Keyphrases
- pregnant women
- healthcare
- mitral valve
- end stage renal disease
- aortic valve
- ejection fraction
- chronic kidney disease
- newly diagnosed
- middle aged
- health information
- prognostic factors
- primary care
- social media
- peritoneal dialysis
- pregnancy outcomes
- cross sectional
- body composition
- atrial fibrillation
- working memory
- left ventricular
- patient reported
- medical students
- psychometric properties