Patient information leaflets, found inside the packets of all medicines, were described by the public as being ‘impenetrable’ and ‘unreadable’ in a new report by The Academy of Medical Sciences.

The Enhancing the use of scientific evidence to judge the potential benefits and harms of medicines report calls for substantial changes to the leaflets at a national and EU level.

The report, which looked at survey data from 1,013 GPs and 2,041 adult members of the public, also found that many find it difficult to make sense of information from different sources, such as the internet, newspapers and family and friends.

It also looks at how medical appointments can be made more useful for patients and medical professionals, suggesting a series of questions that can help people make informed decisions about medicines, and recommends that more should be done to make NHS Choices a ‘go to‘ source of online health information.

Report chair Professor Sir John Tooke FMedSci said: “It is startling to hear that only about a third of the public trust medical research, and that patients are struggling to make sense of the information they receive from their doctor, the TV, the internet and their friends and family about medicines. 

“With our ageing population and ever more sophisticated treatments being made available, we need to act now to give patients clearer and more useful information about the medicines they take.”