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Signs, including pictograms, present in public space are intended to enforce a specific behavior. Due to their simplicity and unambiguity of the message, they can be an effective tool of public healthcare. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge referred to the meaning of the sign prohibiting alcohol consumption during pregnancy among first-year medical students who do not have vast knowledge at present level in this field. The study was conducted among academic youth in Poland, and assumed a 5% risk of error, hence, for p <0.05 the differences were considered statistically significant. Out of the total number, there were 1,123 questionnaire forms correctly completed and these were further selected for the final analysis, which comprised of 751 by women and 372 by men. Among the respondents, over 92% properly recognized the sign warning against the use of alcohol during pregnancy. Moreover, more than 45% declared previous contact with this sign and above 53% claimed that they already had knowledge of the sing's meaning. The graphic form of the sign allows for its correct interpretation, thus products which may become harmful especially to pregnant women and fetus can be clearly and legibly marked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pain is both difficult to see and to articulate and this is challenging for both patients and clinicians. The aim of this study was to develop and test pictograms to describe different pain qualities.Methods: 22 pictograms were developed for evaluation based on pain qualities of the short form McGill Pain Questionnaire, version 2 (SF-MPQ-2). An online matching survey was conducted and disseminated via social media in 2021.Results: An overall matching of 66% or higher between pictogram and pain qualities descriptors was considered a proper matching. This study was carried out internationally (males = 57, age=41y.o. ± 16; females = 155, age=41y.o.± 17) and in Poland (males=49, age =35y.o.± 17; females = 164, age=35y.o.± 16). There were 14 pictograms that did not achieve 66% matching in any country. 8 pictograms mutually in all subgroups achieved a matching score of ≥ 66% regardless of geographic location, sex, income, or education level.Discussion and Conclusions: These 8 pictograms can be used clinically once they have been redrawn to improve consistency, and future research in the design of pictograms representing pain qualities of the SF-MPQ-2 should focus on design improvements for the remaining 14 pain qualities with poor comprehensibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Medication use often causes errors that are dangerous to the health of patients. Previous studies indicate that the use of pharmaceutical pictograms can effectively reduce medication errors. The purpose of this study was to determine the comprehensibility, representativeness, and recall rate of nine medication safety pictograms in a sample of nursing students in Poland in order to validate these images.Methods: A pictogram validation study was conducted in two phases among nursing students at the Hipolit Cegielski State University of Applied Sciences, Gniezno, Poland. All experimental protocols were approved by the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Ethics Board (REB Protocol No: 19/122X). All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. In phase 1, the participants' first exposure to the pictograms, the students were asked to guess the meaning of the pictograms without any additional information in order to assess the pictograms' comprehensibility. To be considered valid, according to ISO standards, the pictograms had to be correctly understood by at least 66.7% of participants. After testing all pictograms, students were given explanations and meanings of the pictograms and asked to rate the representativeness of pictograms. To do so, participants were asked to select a number on a seven-point Likert-style scale to indicate the perceived strength of the relationship between the pictogram and its intended meaning for each pictogram. To be considered valid, a pictogram had to be rated at least five on this scale by at least 66.7% of participants. Phase 2 took place four weeks later, during which recall of the intended meaning and representativeness were assessed following the same procedure.Results: A total of 66 third-year nursing students participated in both phases. In phase 1, of the nine pictograms, six met ISO requirements for comprehensibility and seven met ISO requirements for representativeness. In phase 2, all nine pictograms were correctly understood and rated at least 5 by at least 66.7% of participants. Therefore, all nine pictograms are considered valid.Conclusions: The nine medication safety pictograms can be deployed, but must be combined with training and a written hazard statement to improve comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]