Boon Heather S, Kachan Natasha
Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3M2.
Patient Educ Couns. 2007 Oct;68(2):193-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2007.06.005. Epub 2007 Aug 10.
To explore how the information provided on labels as mandated by the new Canadian natural health product (NHP) regulations impacts consumers' perceptions of risks associated with using NHPs.
Six focus groups were conducted in three locations across Ontario. Consumers were asked to react to two labels for a fictitious product called Saturnflower that represented the "old" standards (label 1) and the new standards (label 2). Groups were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify key themes.
The 38 participants criticized label 1 for lacking information about the uses of the product and discussed their frustration at trying to obtain good quality information about NHPs. The lack of risk information on label 1 reinforced their perceptions of NHPs as natural, mild and safe. The majority of participants found label 2 much more informative, but a few were unsettled by the extent of the risk information, questioning if it was necessary.
The label requirements of the new NHP regulations were generally viewed positively by the consumers who participated in this study.
The additional risk information may generate more NHP-related questions for health care practitioners especially with respect to possible interactions between NHPs and conventional medicines.
探讨加拿大新的天然健康产品（NHP）法规所要求的标签上提供的信息如何影响消费者对使用NHP相关风险的认知。
在安大略省的三个地点进行了六个焦点小组访谈。要求消费者对一种名为Saturnflower的虚构产品的两种标签做出反应，这两种标签分别代表“旧”标准（标签1）和新标准（标签2）。小组讨论进行了录音，并逐字转录。采用定性内容分析法确定关键主题。
38名参与者批评标签1缺乏产品用途信息，并讨论了他们在试图获取有关NHP的高质量信息时的挫败感。标签1上缺乏风险信息强化了他们认为NHP天然、温和且安全的认知。大多数参与者发现标签2提供的信息多得多，但少数人对风险信息的详尽程度感到不安，质疑其是否必要。
参与本研究的消费者总体上对新NHP法规的标签要求持积极看法。
额外的风险信息可能会给医疗保健从业者带来更多与NHP相关的问题，尤其是关于NHP与传统药物之间可能的相互作用。
